| Location: San Antonio,TX, Member Since: Dec 13, 2009 Gender: Male Goal Type: Other Running Accomplishments: 5K PR - 18:01 - Nov '14
10K PR - 38:37 (workout) - Oct '14
Half-marathon - 1:22:43 - Jan '14
Marathon - 2:58:43 in Boston! - Apr '13
50 mile - 7:49:30 (2nd) - Nov '15 Short-Term Running Goals: - Balance
- Run more trails, volunteer, more social running, run with a team
- Race a lot more. learn.
Race results / possible schedule:
Apr 2 - Hells Hills 25k trail - 4th
Apr 9 - Toughest 'n Texas 20-mile Trail - 2nd
May 7 - Paleface - Trail Marathon - 3rd
May 29 - American Hero road 25k - 2nd
Jun 25 - Pedernales Falls 30k nighttime Trail - 5th (sick)
Jul 16 - Muleshoe Bend 30k nighttime Trail - 3rd
Jul 23-24 - Fossil Valley 9-hour nighttime Trail - 2nd
Aug 6 - Colorado Bend 30k nighttime Trail - 4th
Aug 27 - Reveille Peak 30k nighttime Trail (entered)
Sep 10 - Franklin Mountains 50k (entered - not all-out effort...I hope)
Sep 17 - Lighthouse Hill 20-mile trail (entered)
Sep 24 - J&J 50 mile trail Long-Term Running Goals: Compete in a few more ultras without going off course (again)
Sub-18 in a 5k
One. Good. Marathon. Personal: I started running at age 30, in late 2009. I have 2 daughters (10 and 8 yrs old).
   
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2638.16 | 323.59 | 2961.75 |
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| 1140s #1 Miles: 84.88 | 1140s #2 Miles: 211.23 | New Blue Asics Miles: 143.33 | 1140s #3 Miles: 498.48 | Saucony A4 Miles: 201.79 | 1150s Miles: 492.23 | 1150s Red #1 Miles: 416.51 | Kinvaras Miles: 342.77 | 1150s Red #2 Miles: 247.83 | Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 204.08 | Fastwich Miles: 98.82 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.30 | 0.50 | 3.80 |
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I was gonna take the day off but I changed my mind after breakfast and decided to do a couple laps around lost lake with 5 pounds of food digesting in my stomach, in order to hit the mileage I'd originally planned for the week.
Ran 2 easy, then a half-mile in 2:50 (1:31, 1:19) then 1.3 easy. For the half-mile I ran a smooth first quarter, then gradually accelerated the next quarter with the last 5 seconds or so pretty close to an all out sprint.
Then I ate a donut. Happy new year. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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7:55 pace, last couple miles ended up being MP.
This week I'm moving my runs around a bit - long run will be 20 miles, but take place on Wednesday. This is to accomodate the Disney half marathon satellite race taking place on Saturday. Should be kinda cool, it's taking place at the same time at the race in the states and will have a video link between the starting lines. The bad news is that makes it a 2pm start here, which is pretty much the worst possible time for me and my night-shift schedule. Gonna just suck it up though, and do it. I'm going to pace an Army buddy as he tries to PR. He wants a 1:45 but will be happy with 1:50. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 3.00 | 8.00 |
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Felt pretty good on this run. No specific workout really, just sped up a bunch on the way home. Averaged 7:59 for the first 4, then 7:26, 7:13, 6:59, 6:09. I don't have a mile PR, but I'm quite sure that last mile would qualify as the fastest mile I've ever run. Didn't really intend to do that but the speed felt good and smooth, and wasn't knocking me out like it should have, so I let 'er rip the last half mile.
AP was 7:27 for the run. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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8:20 pace.
Why did I name these shoes "new" blue asics? Not a lot of foresight. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 17.00 | 3.00 | 20.00 |
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I saved the best 20-miler for last, I guess. AP 7:45. Yeah, marathon goal pace for a 20-miler. Who does that? Probably kinda dumb, but good for the confidence anyway. Here are the splits...
First 10 -- AP 8:02 -- 8:12, 8:10, 8:05, 8:00, 8:06, 8:03, 8:04, 7:56, 7:46, 7:55
Last 10 -- AP 7:29 -- 7:46, 7:40, 7:40, 7:52, 7:44, 7:39, 7:23, 7:15, 7:01, 6:48
My last 13.1 was a sub-1:40, which PR's me for the 3rd time in a training run. I just kinda ran whatever I felt like doing today and ended up getting a nice progressive run out of it. I also caused the runner's knee to flare up a bit, but I think it's pretty manageable. Hopefully I can still pace my friend in the HM this Saturday, and hopefully he's not a lot faster than he lets on. Would it be bad if I couldn't keep up with him? I'm hoping a day off tomorrow and a short, slow run Friday recovers me enough.
If everything stays on schedule, I have basically 1 more week of training in this country. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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7:56 avg.
The race tomorrow should finally put me over 60 for a single week. One day, I hope me and High Mileage will be best friends but we've had a rocky relationship so far; if we don't take it slow, someone gets hurt (me). |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.54 | 0.00 | 13.54 |
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8:04 AP. Ran the simultaneous Disney half from Iraq with my friend today. He did really well, clocking just under a 1:46 for 13.1, but the course was quite a bit long; we still finished the 13.5+ miles in 1:49. We were under 8-minute pace until the last 5k. I think I was actually a pretty decent pacer though.
I've now gone 24 hours with no sleep and it's time to go to work...awesome. Still say it was worth it though. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.80 | 0.00 | 3.80 |
| After work I was sitting at 36 hours with no sleep (still not a PR though) so I took a 2-hour nap and woke up to get in a little run and go eat something. Now I can sleep for real. 8:31 AP. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 3.80 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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7:40 avg pace. 3 easy + 8 GMP.
3 easy @ 8:01
8 GMP @ 7:32 (splits were 7:35, 7:34, 7:37, 7:32, 7:26, 7:31, 7:32, 7:31)
Lately I've been doing my GMP runs a little faster -- having delusions of grandeur thinking I might be able to crack 3:20. I keep hoping this pace will feel like MP. Still not quite. I'm sure I can hold it for a long time, 2 hours no problem...maybe 2.5...but more than that? Don't know.
Looking at McMillan equivalent paces it seems like I should be right on top of it:
--5K @ 6:36 pace? Basically did it my last race.
--5mi @ 6:48 pace? Did 5mi tempo recently @ 6:54...at the end of an 11-mile run.
--HM @ 7:15 pace? Ran 7:26 pace on what was supposed to be a 13.1 MP run but got carried away, just messing around.
Still gotta think about it awhile since 3:20 doesn't really hold any significance for me, and I'd like to just have a good time with the race. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.40 | 0.00 | 5.40 |
| 8:17 pace on a foggy morning...didn't expect that. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 5.40 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 18.00 | 0.00 | 18.00 |
| 7:58 AP. Mostly kept it between 8:00 and 8:10, then did the last 3 in the 7:20s. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.50 | 0.50 | 7.00 |
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7 miles on an airbase in Qatar, avg 7:51. Picked it up the last half-mile or so.
Looks like I'll be stuck here a few days. As a rule, getting home from a deployment always has to be more complicated and time-consuming than going the other way. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
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7:51 AP. It's a lot warmer here than in Baghdad (during winter) - it was 70F by the time I finished around 9am. So, a pretty solid effort.
I'm realizing yesterday was my first day off work since July. I almost did a double yesterday out of pure boredom, but first I counted the number of clean boxers in my overnight bag and decided it wouldn't work out. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 8:17 pace | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 8 miles on a windy Abilene morning. My first run back just wouldn't have been right without a steady 20+ mph south wind blowing...good to be home. 7:54 avg. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.00 | 1.00 | 14.00 |
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Wind out of the north, 25-35 mph today. Yuck. I decided to run an out-and-back with the first 7 mostly headwind, and the last 7 mostly tailwind.
Splits going out were 8:11, 8:18, 8:36, 8:43, 8:30, 8:14, 8:31. Then 7:26, 7:19, 7:21, 7:21, 7:26, 7:33, 7:39. AP 7:56.
I guess with the ridiculous wind it was ok (some of the headwind legs were almost comical when the big gusts hit), but I was actually falling apart a bit the last couple miles, which I don't think should've happened. Oh well, I think I just need to get used to not running in perfect conditions anymore.
That was my last tough workout so I'm just hoping I did enough...we'll see! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 8:24 pace. Feeling a little slow/sluggish and out of sorts the last few days of running. Hopefully just some of that "taper madness." |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.45 | 2.00 | 7.45 |
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5 easy, 2 fast (6:59, 6:57), then a short cooldown. 8:02 AP. Still very slow and sluggish. The 2 fast miles felt awful, way worse than they should've. Could be the different diet, routine, etc, but I hope I'm back to normal soon!
Good news is Houston weather is looking pretty nice on the extended forecast so far. Overnight low in the low-40s for the start and 6 mph winds. Those are basically the same conditions I've been running in the past couple months. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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8:09 pace. Nothing special, but the pace and the effort finally matched up a lot closer today. The last 3 or 4 runs 8:00 pace felt like 7:30 effort.
Tomorrow I'll do 3 MP miles and hopefully determine that I'm back to normal. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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5 easy, 3 GMP. I felt great today, back to normal. 7:51 AP for the run, last 3 were 7:32, 7:33, 7:24 (faster than I will go on Sunday, but felt nice). I even noticed once in my warmup, abaout a third of the way through the mile, that I was already at MP...good sign. Whew, glad the race wasn't last week.
I feel pretty injury-free as well, just the standard tightness in my left hip flexor/groin that I've had most of the year - doesn't ever seem to affect anything. The tendonitis took a couple months to go away, but it mostly has. Both my tendon injuries in training for this marathon have actually been cured by not listening to my body and chowing down pills instead, while running through the uncomfortableness. Not many people advocate that method.
Here are a couple homecoming pictures I've been meaning to post.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 |
| 3 easy, then 7:34, 7:10, 6:45 (an optimistic MP, HM, 10K pace). 7:33 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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6 easy around my sister-in-law's neighborhood in Austin this morning, 8:10-8:20s.
We're now in Houston after spening the night in Austin. Checked the forecast, and it's looking pretty crappy. Warm and rainy. I haven't run too much in the rain so I'm not sure what it does to performance - hopefully it's not too bad. Maybe it'll even cool us off a bit? Anyway, nothing I can do about so might as well suck it up.
Taking tomorrow off, then a short run (maybe in the rain?) on Saturday. Race Sunday. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.08 | 0.00 | 3.08 |
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Last 3 miles of matathon training before the race, mile 2 was at GMP. 3 miles really goes by in the blink of an eye now; a year ago that was probably my median distance run.
Weather check - 50% chance rain with scattered T-storms. Temps in the 60s, winds 8 mph. Not a lot to like except the wind. As long as the lightning stays away though, and they have a race, I'll be happy - just looking to give a good effort and complete my first marathon, don't think there will be any 3:20 in the works or anything crazy like that. Still hoping to beat 3:30 though...
Bib # is 1682 for any who want to look up results; I'll probably have a report up sometime Sunday night. | |
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Houston Marathon (26.22 Miles) 03:25:59, Place overall: 424, Place in age division: 71 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 26.22 | 0.00 | 26.22 |
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Great day. My first marathon was a success, and I beat my original goal of 3:30 by 4 minutes.
Night before – Danielle and I met April, April’s sister, and her friend for a carb-loading dinner. It was awesome to meet April and pick her brain a little. Mr. and Mrs. Flatlander also stopped by for awhile; it was great to finally meet Mark in person as well and talk a little running. Hopefully I’ll be seeing more of these fellow FRBers in the future.
Race day – Weather predictions were all doom and gloom the night before, but the thunder and lightning stayed away on race day. It rained off and on the entire race, soaking us to the bone, but at least we had a race. The bad part was the unseasonable warmth. The temps were in the mid-60s the whole time, with about 90% humidity. I decided I better start slower; I even told Mark last night I would run 7:40s and 7:50s in the first half because of the heat. I guess I lied. Miraculously, we bumped into April before the race among the 20,000 participants and made our way to the starting line. The mile splits below are from Garmin.
Miles 1-5: 8:02, 7:34, 7:36, 7:42, 7:42. The gun went off and April and I started together. I ran with her for about 3 steps and she was gone, picking her way through the crowd. The first mile was really clogged up. I noticed about an 8:30 pace about halfway into that first mile, but didn’t panic, and used it as a nice warmup. Obviously it opened up a bit after that because I was in the 7:30s pretty quick. 5K was 24:04. I focused on shortening my stride to keep the pace slower but I felt really great.
Miles 6-10: 7:33, 7:30, 7:39, 7:37, 7:36. Whoops. I started running by feel. It felt so very easy, so I threw the conservative plan out the window and listened to my body. That probably would’ve worked if it was 20 degrees cooler, but not today. 10K was 47:55. I saw my dad around mile 8, which was awesome. The crowd support was unreal – people lining the streets in the rain all 26 miles. Here's a picture my dad took about 8 miles in:
Miles 11-15: 7:28, 7:35, 7:35, 7:38, 7:40. Still feeling ridiculously great. My plan was to hang around 3:20 pace just in case, and I was still right on it. In mile 13, I ran right by my childhood best friend’s house and saw his mom out there – pretty cool. I went through the half in 1:40:22 (nearly a PR) but was still breathing really easy and didn’t feel a big toll on my legs yet.
Miles 16-20: 7:37, 7:36, 7:50, 7:35, 7:49. Ok, doubts started to creep in mile 18. 30K was still a great split, 2:22:51 (7:40 average so far). I slowed down as the legs were starting to burn a bit in 18. Then I inexplicably sped up in mile 19, feeling strong again – maybe I shouldn’t have done that. By mile 20, I was giving more effort but the pace was starting to bleed out for good.
Miles 21-26.2: 7:55, 8:04, 8:19, 8:39, 8:58, 8:43, 2:27 (0.33 miles on garmin). Cue death march. Looking at the splits now, I thought it would be worse (wasn’t looking at my watch much at this point, but every time I did I thought I saw 9-something). I saw my dad, brother and his fiancée at mile 23 (brother lives in an apartment right on the course). I faked a smile for them, and then went back to pathetically staring at the cement 3 feet in front of me. My lovely wife had finished her half marathon and was there cheering for me with about a tenth of a mile to go! I saw the clock, and put on a furious sprint (8:00 pace was a sprint) and officially beat 3:26 by a second to get a 3:25:59! I think the bonk should be mostly attributed to going too fast in the early miles on a hot, muggy day. Still, it wasn’t an aerobic wall – I actually caught my breath a little but just could not will myself to pick up the pace. So, I gotta think part of it was also mental, but maybe part fueling? I had a total of 5 gu and took Gatorade pretty much every stop. Weird to think that wasn’t enough, but my stomach felt fine and I could probably tolerate more; I really think I was burning fats at the end, but I’m not experienced enough to know for sure. A real learning experience, but I’m still really, really happy with the time given the conditions. Here's the smile I faked at mile 23 - looks like I am barely moving!
After the race I very slowly went to meet Danielle. It was then that I got light-headed and she told me to sit down. I obeyed, and started to feel a bit better. When April and company found us (April looked much more lively than me, after her awesome PR), I managed to get up and sorta tried to pretend I wasn’t as exhausted as I was, but I still looked terrible I bet. It took me awhile but I am feeling better now.
Some stats from runpix – I finished top 6% overall, top 8% of men and top 12% of my age group. That also feels pretty good, because it lets me know everyone struggled as well. First half was 1:40:22 (7:39 pace), second half was 1:45:37 (8:03 pace). My first 20 miles was 2:32:54 (7:39 pace). Last 10K was 53:05 (8:32 pace). So there it is.
Anyway, definitely a successful day. I would love to make a run at BQ at this race in 1 year, so back to training. Danielle and I are hoping to run Oklahoma City again in 3 months if work allows. Not sure yet whether I want to do another full already, or maybe just the half. But Boston is officially on the brain now! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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2 days later, and still pretty sore. My quads were obliterated. Next in line in order of soreness are the hip flexors, groin for some reason, hammys and shins. Guess I didn't ever run fast enoug to hurt the calves. I'm hoping to be able to jog a couple miles tomorrow, but we'll see. It's gonna have to be on the treadmill thanks to the winter storm. We have single-digit lows the next couple days, a lot of snow (for Texas) and windchills below zero! I'm really not equipped for all that.
Not that it really means anything but I compared my relative gender and age group placings to 2010 results when they had better, more typical conditions and those finishers were in the 3:21-3:22 range. Can't put too much stock in that though, but it is a nice sanity check.
So, thinking finally about goals and races for this year... Maintain 50+ mile weeks and very slowly work my way up to 60s. For this spring, I want to run a couple local 5Ks (inch closer to sub-20), the Capitol 10K in Austin if work allows (sub-43, it's a tough course), and either a half or a full at OKC (get below 1:35 or 3:20). This summer will be base-building - too hot to race much in TX. This fall, I would like to run either the half or full here in Abilene in October if they have it, and finally Houston in January 2012 where I hope I'm ready for a 3:10:59. Probably need to be injury-free all year to pull it all off, so that is a goal as well. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
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Hit the TM because of the ice and wind chill, and walked for a half-mile, stretched, then ran 1 @ 6 mph and 1 @ 7 mph.
Since I'm normally in the habit of only showering after a run, it's been 3 days since my last shower. Just thought I'd share that. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| Another run, another shower. 3 on the TM @ 8:53 AP. No soreness detected this time - really thankful to have made it through the race uninjured. Gonna be stuck with the TM tomorrow as well, but I think a lot of the snow and ice will melt on Saturday afternoon. The roads are still like ice rinks right now. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 3.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.75 | 0.25 | 5.00 |
| 8:39 AP on the treadmill. Picked up the pace a little at the end to see how it felt...felt good. Should be able to run outside in the afternoon tomorrow. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| Man that felt great, awesome day. I ran after lunch, and it had warmed up to about 50 degrees, with a little breeze and blue skies. I was out there sweating with shorts and a t-shirt and a bunch of snow on the ground. Kinda wanted to just keep running, but I'm gonna play it safe the next week or so before loading up the miles again. 8:02 AP. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 7.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 1.00 | 9.00 |
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Another really nice day for running: 40F, and a little breezy. I gradually picked up the pace a little on the way back home with the nice tailwind thanks to the north wind. 7:45 avg.
My R&R is now over and I go back to work tomorrow, back to the real world. I think I'm going to set Monday as my day off, running-wise. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 36F, winds 15-18mph, 26F windchill. Wind felt a little stronger than that (was running 9:00-9:05 on headwind legs) but close enough. Weather looks twice as miserable tomorrow though. Today was my first early-morning run in awhile, I forgot how much I hate them. 8:17 AP. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 7.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 2.00 | 6.00 |
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This morning I woke up to a temperature of 9F, with the windchill at -9. Soooo, I took some gym clothes to work; by lunch it warmed up to -4 windchill. Soooo, I hit the gym treadmills but it was hot inside and I was sweating buckets. Soooo, I sped up the last couple miles to get it over with. 7:42 AP.
Tomorrow morning looks ridiculously cold too, but the afternoon looks perfect; I will be back out on the roads tomorrow and maybe get in some better mileage. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 1.02 | 9.02 |
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Too cold in the morning, but I went out at lunch and ran on the county roads behind the base in Tye. Perfect. Mid-30s, and very little wind with clear skies. Would love to repeat this running weather 365 days a year. I liked the new route a lot too, the country roads were mostly paved and had no traffic. I ended up with a natural progression in pace for the run, averaging 7:41 overall.
Then I had Burger King for the 3rd time this week. Probably a trend I should try to curb in the future... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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5 laps around the 1-mile track on base, 7:57 avg.
I took the Garmin and found out it's not measured exactly from the inside, probably closer to the center. I ran twice on the outside and twice on the inside (the track is only about 6 feet wide but turns/winds a lot). 0.98 from the inside and 1.03 running on the outside. Pretty nerdy thing to do to amuse myself but whatever. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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I got the last pair of 1140s in my size on the internet (that are also under $50) in the mail, along with the next year's version (still outdated, and also less than $50). Pretty happy about that.
Temp was about 26F, but very little wind again. Did my 8-mile loop, AP 7:47. I'm thinking about doing some HM goal pace tempo work tomorrow in my 12-miler. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 5.00 | 12.00 |
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Loving the weather lately - mid 40s this morning, 10 mph winds. Goal for today was 7 easy, 5 @ HMP (7:10-7:15 target)
7 easy: 8:09, 8:19, 8:13, 8:05, 7:51, 8:02, 7:59 (8:05 AP)
5 fast: 7:12, 7:01, 7:03, 6:52, 6:34 (6:56 AP)
7:37 AP overall
So as usual I got carried away at the end but I was definitely due for a workout and it felt nice to let loose a little. Next week, I'll be back to higher mileage (50s for me) and more tempos. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 4.00 | 10.00 |
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More tempo. Must get faster before half marathon next month. Actually, I felt pretty crappy today - big difference from Sunday's workout. I did 6 easy, then 4 tempo (target 7:00-7:10). The 4 tempo were 7:00, 7:02, 7:09, 7:12. I actually quit after the 3rd mile and started jogging since it was getting way too hard but then I felt like a total wimp. After about a minute of 8:30 pace, I sped up again and almost brought the last mile down to my target. So a small victory on an otherwise "off" day.
7:42 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 8:15 AP, anticipating some MP work tomorrow. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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Computer said 60F, wind S 21-28 mph as I left to go run this morning...felt about right. We were overdue for the stupid wind to come back. Plan was 5 easy then 6 @ MP (target 7:35), but the conditions made doing any specific pace work kinda pointless. MP was about a 6:45 effort going south and 8:00 effort going north. So let's just say I ran 11 miles and moved my feet a little faster for the last 6.
7:59 AP overall.
1 weird thing happened - on the way back I was running on a sidewalk, approaching the driveway of an apartment complex. Someone was driving out of the complex, and I made sure I had eye contact with him. Then, looking at me the whole time, he continues out of the driveway and stops right in the middle of the sidewalk and I had to come to a quick stop to avoid running into the side of his truck. Then he continues to just stare at me as if to say, "yep, that just happened...what now?" A younger slowjoe would not have let it go so easily but I just trotted around and continued on my way. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 8:08 pace. Wind today? Calm. Would've been a nice day for a workout, oh well. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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I did 8 at a 7:54 avg (sped up a little the last couple miles) this morning. Then took the kids to go watch Danielle run a local 5k and get a ridiculously large PR. The kids had a lot of fun watching mommy finish fast!
* So I was browsing the discussion boards and saw someone linked this article: http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/blog/2011/02/baa_announces_new_procedures_f.html
Basically the BQ time goes down 5 minutes for everyone for 2013. If I were to qualify in Houston with a 3:10 in 2012, it wouldn't be fast enough because the earliest I could run Boston would be 2013 (needing a 3:05)! Also, they will base when you can register on how much you beat your qualifying time. So it looks like I will be working at this for quite sometime before I can run in the big one. I'm thinking I'll need under 3 hours for sure, which will take years if I ever get there! Turning 35 in 3 years will help, I guess. Kinda disappointing, but in a weird way I'm excited that it is harder (more special?) and I'll be able to chase that now-far-away goal a lot longer. I guess I was late to the party with the whole running craze. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 3.00 | 14.00 |
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62F, 80% humidity. The forecast was calling for a lot of wind, so I had Danielle drop me off 14 miles from the house so I could do a point-to-point. Naturally, the strong wind didn't really materialize but it was fun to run some new roads; hopefully I can convince her to do this more often.
I did a progressive run today (more or less), splits were 8:08, 7:57, 8:06, 8:00, 7:47, 7:49, 7:35, 7:33, 7:33, 7:36, 7:28, 7:19, 7:12, 6:54.
AP 7:38.
Interesting that I ended up averaging goal pace for the OKC full. Felt a little too hard today. I felt really hot and sweated huge amounts, but I better get used to it because this could easily be the weather for OKC (plus more wind). May 1st is a little too late to have a marathon down south in my opinion, I wish it was sooner. I might just be running it for the experience, which is ok too. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.63 | 0.50 | 3.13 |
| I ran on my off day...took the racing flats out for a spin and did a couple 400s at 5K pace. It was too nice a morning to pass up. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 5.00 | 10.00 |
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31F, calm winds. I got my confidence boost for the month today; probably had my best training run to date! Goal was easy 5, fast 5, with the only requirement for the fast miles being under 7:15.
Easy 5 - 8:13 AP
Fast 5 - 6:44 AP Splits: 7:05, 7:00, 6:34, 6:36, 6:24.
Overall AP 7:29
Breakthrough, I think. I went to Garmin Connect to see what my last 3.1 miles was, and I ran it in 20:19. So a really big 5K PR after already doing a couple tempo miles. I gotta think I mighta broken 20 if there were a race today, and I was wearing the Sauconys. I really needed this run as I had been feeling slow all week last week. The temperature definitely played a big role today...I must really lose some spring in my step once it gets into the 60s (as it was last week). Anyway, there's a local 5K in 2-and-a-half weeks. I think I will be there. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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8:16 pace.
Still happy about my run from yesterday. Hopefully it wasn't too flukish and means I've stepped up a notch in fitness. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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63F, 98% humidity. Juuust about to rain, but I made it back in time. Had to run super early this morning (5am) to catch a morning flight to Houston for an overnight trip. You'd think that weather I posted was Houston, but no, I ran in Abilene. Anyway, as expected, I melted out there; that's too hot and muggy for me. I was able to eke out 3 MP miles at the end, and hated every minute of it. I really gotta toughen up, since the running gods apparently have taken away spring and gone straight from winter to summer.
8:01 AP | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 7:58 avg, back in Abilene. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 7:55 AP, perfect running weather. Should be about 25 degrees warmer tomorrow morning for my long run. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 17.00 | 0.00 | 17.00 |
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Start weather: 65F, 93% humidity, wind S 17-25 mph. End weather: 71F, 70% humidity, winds S 25-30 mph. I never knew it could be hot, humid and windy all at the same time. Obviously not a fun running day, so I took it easy and just put miles on legs.
8:06 AP. Out and back, averaged 8:24 going out, 7:48 coming back due to the wind differential. I like to get the headwind out of the way first! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 6.21 | 10.21 |
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Another Tempo Tuesday, another unofficial PR. Weather was ideal (which apparently is critical for me) at 35F, 3-5 mph winds. Plan was for 4 easy, 6 fast, but I decided to turn on the jets for another minute or so to see what the 10K would be.
4 warmup miles at about 8:02 AP. Then a 10K in 42:07 (6:47 AP). Splits were 7:09, 6:53, 6:45, 6:49, 6:43, 6:34, 1:14 for 0.21 (5:54 pace). So a pretty fierce finish!
AP for the run 7:16.
So, a couple things this run helped me realize: 1) sub-43 is a dumb goal for my 10K in April. 2) a 1:35 (7:15 pace) should be pretty easily attainable in 2-1/2 weeks at the HM. I mean I was on pace on this 10-mile run that included 4 warmup miles, and a couple of the tempo miles today were on dirt roads. So I feel good about hitting that goal now unless it's hot at the race in Longview, in which case I will melt down as I usually do in the heat.
Now I'm all antsy to get out and do some racing. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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8:25 AP in some great running weather, about 45F. In fact the rest of this week (including the weekend) looks great. Just had to complain about it enough.
No soreness at all from my 10K yesterday, which was just about race pace effort for most of it. I think stabilizing my mileage here (upper 50s/week) since December has helped my legs get accustomed to that level of punishment, and recover fast. This summer will be a good time to base build easy miles while very slowly working toward 70. Right now, while the weather is nice, I will keep the intensity up and just hover around 60/week until OKC. It took me awhile (and a few injuries) to learn not to increase mileage AND intensity at the same time but I think the message finally got through. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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55F, ~15mph south wind. Not feeling it today. I tried to speed up a bit on the way home with the tailwind and managed a few 7:30s but felt really sluggish. 8:02 AP for the run.
I saw a lady who was plopped down in the grass at a bus stop today. She was staring at me with a shocked and disgusted look. I checked and did not have any boogers hanging out, so I said good morning and she just continued to stare at me in disgusted silence. Then there was an older gentleman just standing still, right in the middle of the street, having a conversation with himself. I didn't want to interrupt, so he did not get a "good morning." | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 6 @ 8:11 AP in racing flats. I'm working my way up in distance with them; if there continues to be no pain or ill-effects, I think I will try to use them in the HM in a couple weeks. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 40 degrees and windy (NNW 22-27 mph). Tried to stay on crosswind roads, mostly. Felt pretty good today, 7:49 AP. 20-miler tomorrow! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.00 | 7.00 | 20.00 |
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29F to start, 43F to finish...Awesome day to run. This was my first 20-miler back in the U.S. and I got to explore some new areas. I ran to one of the many wind farms around Abilene, and actually found some solid hills! We have a zillion humongous electricity-generating windmills around our town (gee, wonder why) but I've never really seen them up close. Sometimes you'll see an "oversize load" 18+ wheeler slowly carrying a single fan blade on the interstate. Anyway, about 8 miles into the run I found myself on an isolated road with 100+ foot tall windmills on either side, whooshing away. Very surreal, it was a cool experience.
Oh yeah, I had a great run too. Plan was 10 ez, 10 @ GMP.
AP for 10 ez was 8:04. Splits were 8:24, 8:05, 8:14, 8:11, 8:00, 7:59, 7:52, 7:58, 7:58, 7:54.
AP for 10 "mp" was 7:12. Splits were 7:38, 7:25, 7:17, 7:22, 7:19, 7:15, 7:08, 7:04, 6:54, 6:40.
"MP" in quotes because that is more like HMP. Believe it or not, the last 3 miles were into a decent headwind. AP for the run - 7:38.
Sooo, I did this run at my goal marathon pace on average. My time of 2:32:36 is 18 seconds faster than my 20-mile split at Houston. The difference is I was on death's door in Houston at the 20-mile point, but able to run a 6:40 mile into the wind today. Mostly it's the 30-degree difference in temperature, but I think I'm more fit too.
One thing I should probably point out...I just checked the map data, and I climbed a net 200 feet going out and descended 200 feet coming back home. So that skews the last 10 miles a little. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| 61F, wind S 15-20. My hips are still kinda sore from Sunday, and I didn't like the temperature or wind so I blew off Tempo Tuesday and just did some solid aerobic base miles. 8:07 AP. The wind was only moderate by our standards, and I was able to run sub-9s on the direct headwind legs; when the wind is bad I can't even do that, but still not a good day to try and hit any specific paces. I will make up for it on Thursday, it's supposed to be nicer. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 36F, 13 mph wind. 8:04 AP. Nice and cool this morning, but I just did base miles again. I had to borrow some of tomorrow's miles; I want to do some faster stuff in racing flats tomorrow but don't want exceed 9 total miles. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.25 | 5.50 | 10.75 |
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AM#1 - 31F, 5mph winds. Great day to run fast. I warmed up 3 miles @ 8:05 AP, then did 4 mile repeats with an easy half-mile inbetween. The mile repeats (with rest intervals) were:
6:37, (3:59), 6:28, (3:51), 6:20 (3:40), 6:14, (4:20 cooldown).
AP 7:19 for 9 miles.
I am now a fan of racing flats. I just kept getting faster, even my half-mile "rest" was speeding up. I redlined by the end of the last one as the last half-mile was a little uphill. Probably shouldn't have pushed so hard 2 days before my 5K...oh well. Goal will be a sub-20.
Damage assessment from the flats - not much, but my right achilles or lower calf is a bit tender/sore. Not bad to run or walk on, so hopefully it goes away.
***********************
AM#2 - I was in a class this morning that did a mock-PT test...crap. So, quarter-mile warmup, then 1.5 at about a 6:45 pace (after pushups and situps). I just kinda cruised since I was a good bit in front of everyone, but maybe shoulda made it more of a jog since it was not officially scored. I just hate giving crappy effort. Right achilles feeling a bit more tender now, but should not affect Saturday's race. I am starting to re-think flats for a half marathon though, we'll see. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.37 | 0.00 | 4.37 |
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8:42 AP. Hopefully my legs are ready to go tomorrow for the 5K, and are recovered from the fast stuff yesterday. Right now they are angry at me. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 4.37 |
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Local APD 5K (3.13 Miles) 00:19:41, Place overall: 3, Place in age division: 2 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 3.13 | 5.13 |
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Conditions for the race were mid 50s and windy. I got to the race and the south wind is blowing down every sign or stand they put up. I'd guesstimate 15-20 mph. Thankfully, two-thirds of the race was east/west.
Warmed up a couple miles and started near the front. Not a bad turnout for Abilene, probably a couple hundred people. Mile 1 I started out in 6th, and worked my way up to 4th by the end of the mile. Split was 6:14. Mile 2 I moved into 3rd where I would stay the rest of the race - I just could not catch up to the 2 guys in front, but they were close (10-15 seconds ahead maybe). Mile 2 split was 6:25. The last mile was tough. About halfway through, we hit a wall of wind. I knew I wouldn't catch up at that point as my legs became silly putty. Still, Mile 3 was 6:22. The last bit was tailwind, and I did the 0.13 in 40 seconds (5:06 pace).
Big PR, way better than I thought would be possible. I might just try and wear flats for the half next weekend if the lower calf/achilles (not sure which it is) soreness goes away. I'm definitely not used to the shoes yet but getting there. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 0.00 | 14.00 |
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50F, no wind. It all died out right after the race (of course) and hasn't come back yet. I ran to a wind farm again and most of the windmills were still - you don't see that here much!
Anyway, I took it easy but gradually picked it up to GMP the last 6 or 7 miles. Felt pretty comfy the whole run. 7:46 AP.
*Here's a link with a short video about the race yesterday. They caught my finish at about 45 seconds into the video, if you can get it to work. Then the poor honor guard trying to hold the flags steady in the wind... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 5.00 | 11.00 |
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40F, 10 mph winds. Plan was 6 easy, 5 tempo, just looking for sub 7s on the tempo piece.
I didn't hold out too much hope for this workout -- I worked literally 30 hours straight from Sunday afternoon to Monday evening, and went about 40 with no sleep. However, I got a solid 8 hours last night so I guess it was enough.
6 easy in 8:01 AP, then 5 tempo in 6:52 AP (6:54, 6:55, 6:51, 6:50, 6:52). Just kept a nice stready pace; felt decent, all things considered. 7:30 AP for the run.
I checked the weather in Longview for Saturday - going to be mid 60s for the race...similar to Houston. Oh well. Sub-1:35 is still in play, I think, but my visions of 1:31 or 1:32 are dissipating. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.02 | 0.00 | 6.02 |
| 8:19 AP. Can't think of anything else to say, so I'll just say I hate daylight savings time. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.02 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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64F, south wind 22-25 mph. Tough wind today, but I just did base miles anyway, 8:07 AP. Nothing interesting except that I almost got hit by a fast-moving tumbleweed. That would've stung a bit.
I'm considering going shirtless for the race on Saturday. Cons - I will blind oncoming traffic, and there will be race phototography there. Pros - it will feel a lot cooler, no one will be able to tell how much sweat, gatorade, snot, drool and water I have on me, and maybe it will help me endure a little better...run better splits at the end? Not sure. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 8:11 AP in Longview this morning. Low 60s and humid, same as the start of the race will be tomorrow. As expected the day before a race, it felt terrible - like 1:45 would have been tough, forget 1:35. But I think I know not to pay attention to that. | |
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| | Race: |
Longview Half Marathon (13.14 Miles) 01:39:56, Place overall: 38, Place in age division: 6 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 13.14 | 13.14 |
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64F, 92% humidity. I've never really bombed in a race, so I guess it was about time. I've probably had half a dozen training runs where I've ended up covering this distance faster. Most things that could go wrong, did. I forgot my energy drink/caffeine in the morning, and I normally never do anything more than a recovery run without it. Then the temp/humidity ended up about like Houston, except we were in direct sunlight for this one. Today confirmed to me that I lose all my endurance above 60 degrees. The course was also hilly; it was never flat, always up or down. I could use some hill training. To make matters worse, I didn't learn my lesson about adjusting my pace to the conditions, and I started out as if I had perfect conditions again. I'll steal the Proverbs quote from Preston's blog the other day - "As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly." So those are my million excuses! Mostly, I just...ran...bad. I was pleading for the finish line around mile 4.
7:03, 7:03, 7:12, 7:25, 7:18, 7:32, 7:49, 7:47, 8:04, 8:07, 7:59, 8:04, 7:39, 0:53.
About halfway through, I mentally died. Probably could have given a little more effort but I had completely wilted mentally and physically in the heat. Ended up pretty dehydrated as well. I wish I could pull something positive out of this...guess it is technically a PR, and I got in a solid medium-long run. Time to take an easy week and reset everything. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 67F, 19-24mph wind. Just did an easy 6 at an 8:50 avg. Plan is to do easy runs this week, then a solid 20-miler this weekend. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 64F, wind S 27-36 mph. Kinda rough going out there today, but I rode a tailwind the last couple miles and ended up at MP for the last 2. 8:20 AP for the run. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 51F, 7 mph wind. 7:55 AP -- Started out 8:20s and had a natural progression to 7:30s. Really trying to cherish these cool mornings while they last, I wished I had time for more miles today. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 3.00 | 10.00 |
| 50F, low winds, another great morning for running. If only there were some sunshine, it would be perfect. Ran 5 easy going out, then a progressive 5 coming back (7:33, 7:23, 7:13, 7:05, 6:50). Average for the 10 miles was 7:44. Guess an entire week of easy runs was too much to ask, who could've guessed? | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.14 | 0.00 | 6.14 |
| 8:32 AP. Cut off the run, not feeling too well. Looks like I'll be forced into not running tomorrow due to work so maybe the rest will be good, although I won't get much sleep. If everything goes ok with work tomorrow, I should still be able to get in my 20-miler on Sunday. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.14 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 6.00 | 20.00 |
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Perfect weather: temps in the 40s, overcast, 10 mph wind. 7:32 AP for 20 miles. I did 8 easy, 12 at "MP". I was supposed to do a 10 + 10, but my plans changed; see below for the reason.
So I decided to go exploring a new route with this 20-miler. We'll call it the prison loop. Twice before, while running on isolated country roads, I've been stopped by shady-looking characters looking for directions to the prison. Now I'll be able to help them! Apparently there is a state prison just 7 or 8 miles from my front door...neat. Well, my watch just beeped mile 8, and a car pulls up next to me. I quickly glanced over and it says "Perimeter Security" on the side of the car. The guard obviously wants to talk, but he's nice enough to let me keep running during the conversation. We establish that I'm just out for a run and he says, "we were just wondering what you were doing running around a prison." I asked, "was that a bad idea?" He said, "well, our prisoners all wear white." Guess what color shirt I had on. I said, "Oh, so that WAS a bad idea." He just kinda chuckled and we talked for another minute or so, and he "let me go" once he figured out I wasn't a threat (or an escaped convict). Once he turned around I glanced at my watch and my pace had gone from 7:50s to 7:20s. Well, I figured I might as well start the MP portion right then. So I did 12 faster miles today. To make the 20-mile loop complete, I looped around the water treatment/sewage plant. Sometimes I just feel so lucky to have so many beautiful places to run.
First 8: AP 8:00. Splits 8:14, 8:03, 8:09, 8:06, 7:59, 7:48, 7:49, 7:50.
Last 12: AP 7:13. Splits 7:34, 7:32, 7:28, 7:27, 7:18, 7:23, 7:19, 7:24, 7:13, 6:54, 6:49, 6:20.
I averaged a faster pace on this 20-miler than I did on my HM race last weekend. In fact, my last 13.1 today was 1:35:17. What was I doing in Longview?? Am I just hyper-sensitive to warm weather? As excited as I am about this run, part of me considers it almost fake since I had nice weather today, and you never get nice weather for races. I'm particularly excited to pull off a 5K pace mile for mile 20. I wanted to empty the tank to see what I had left and there was plenty. With good temperatures at OKC, my time should be really, really good. I just wish I didn't fold so hard in the heat, because it's more likely to be warm there in May. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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47F, wind N 12 mph, light rain/mist. Nice and refreshing morning for a run. I just did base miles today, 8:03 AP.
My legs knew it was Tempo Tuesday, but I had to deny them any speedwork today. I have my PFT tomorrow (pushups, situps, 1.5 mile run) so I will move the tempo run to Thursday. My goal will be to crack 9:00 (6:00 pace) on the run portion. I think I'm in shape for it but I always underestimate how much the pushups and situps take out of me. FYI, less than 2 years ago I ran a 13:30 (9:00 pace) and almost failed this test... | |
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| | Race: |
AF PFT (1.5 Miles) 00:08:53, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.50 | 1.50 | 6.00 |
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What the hey, let's make it a race report... I got to my test early and did 4 warmup miles. Then started the test - there are 4 components: a waist measurement, # pushups in a minute, # situps in a minute, and a 1.5 mile run.
I got max points on waist, pushups, and situps. I hit 57 (max points) pushups with about 15 seconds to go, and 54 situps (max) with about 10 seconds to spare. Then I needed just a 9:34 on the 1.5 mile run to get a perfect score, but my goal was to break 9:00. Jogged about a half-mile to the start line... My quarter-mile splits for the run:
1:25
1:30 (2:55)
1:31 (4:26)
1:31 (5:57...mile PR)
1:32 (7:29)
1:24 (8:53!)
woohoo! I've actually never broken a 6-minute mile before, so this is a pretty nice result. |
| Saucony A4 Miles: 2.00 | 1140s #3 Miles: 4.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.15 | 5.85 | 13.00 |
| Low 40s, great running weather. I wanted to do 7 easy, 6 tempo (6:50s) but fell a little short. Not sure why, I was pretty sure I'd be able to pull it off but I guess it wasn't my day. The tempo miles were 6:55, 6:54, 6:53, 6:54, 6:57, 7:21. I was dead tired and actually stopped after 5 and started jogging it in, giving up, but then remembered that I always regret doing that. So after about 0.15 at a jog, I tried to pick the pace back up. Never got it back below 7, but I definitely suffered quite a bit while trying so hopefully that makes me faster down the road. AP for 13 miles was 7:36. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.70 | 0.00 | 4.70 |
| low 60s, windy. We had a "fun run" today at work so I did an easy 5k or so before I left, thinking they would probably be a little skimpy on the distance. They were...about 1.6 on the fun run. Just a recovery day anyway, so altogether that about did the trick. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 4.70 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| mid 50s, 8mph wind. Did 8 at an AP of 7:58. Tomorrow I'm doing 16 on what will be the hottest day of the year so far; should be a good opportunity to do a long run under adverse conditions. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 16.00 | 0.00 | 16.00 |
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70F, south wind 21-34 mph. Basically a preview of June temperatures today (with typical April winds). Should get into the mid 90s this afternoon.
For the run, I started in the 8:20s and worked my way down to 7:20s. AP was 7:53. I was pretty happy with how I felt the whole time, given the temperature and the often ridiculous wind. I don't think I could've broken 3:20 today but at least it wasn't as painful as I imagined. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Well, after 3 solid months with no injury concerns, I finally have another one -- left achilles area. I had some weird twinges while running yesterday but nothing that would even make me think about stopping. I iced it, took nsaids yesterday, and this morning it's bothering me quite a bit more while walking. I didn't plan on running today anyway, but this feels like something that will stick around for awhile, we'll see... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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Upper 30s, low wind (perfect for the long tempo I had planned). But, I got this achilles thing. I wanted to see if it got worse or better while running. It mostly stayed the same, and if anything, got a little better -- just a dull ache. I just took short strides and kept it easy, 8:16 AP. Of course, I also had an obscene amount of anti-inflammatories in my system. The main body of the tendon is not sore at all, any soreness I can actually touch is at the bottom of the calf. Reason for hope?
This week will be more runs just like this (relative rest) and hopefully I can return to some better training next week since I'm supposed to be in peak training for OKC right now.... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 62F, winds SSW 27-45 mph. yeah. Obviously I'm still running easy this week, although my stride feels funny fighting that much wind. I would say my achilles is better than yesterday, and with only a single human-size dose of mobic today. The slight discomfort seemed to get slightly better as I ran again today, but it was still present. Moving in the right direction though, I think. Huge improvement from a couple days ago -- as I was limping around at work it felt like a season-ender on Monday but I am cautiously optimistic right now. 8:16 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 66F, wind S 12 mph. More of the same but 8 miles today, 8:11 AP. Achilles felt about the same, dull ache. I'm trying to figure out if a day off is in order to speed things along. I'd really like to get another solid week or two of really beating up my legs plus another 20+ miler before OKC. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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67F, wind S 12 mph. I decided to keep running on it since it felt like it improved overnight. Once I started running there wasn't much of a difference though, maybe a little better but definitely not worse. Either that, or I'm not paying as much attention to it anymore.
The run was 8:10 AP, and I felt out of shape, awkward and sluggish. I hope I can get in a good week of training next week before I need to taper a bit. If there is still some discomfort while running tomorrow, I might can the long run this weekend and hope to get in a 20-miler the next weekend which will still be 2 weeks out. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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70F, wind S 22 mph. Mini heat wave this weekend; the high today is 99!
8:17 AP felt tough again, really sluggish. I can still feel a little tugging in the achilles area, but I think it's almost healed. So my new plan is to do a really short, slow run tomorrow to hopefully finish the healing, and go long on Monday since I'll be on local leave. My secret reason for doing the long run on Monday is that it's going to be 20+ degrees cooler. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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Meh...gonna end up with no run today. Desire to rest the achilles before my long run, and laziness share the blame.
I tried some calf drops (eccentric calf raises?) on the bad side and it seemed to aggravate it just a little. Guess it is still a little too early to strengthen things down there. Still planning to do this long run tomorrow. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 18.00 | 3.00 | 21.00 |
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Start 58F, wind NW 12 mph. Finish 58F, wind N 20-25 mph. Didn't quite get the low temperatures forecasted but still pretty nice. Going out I ran north, so there was a small quartering headwind on the way out, but by the time I turned around I had a big direct tailwind. So kind of an aided course overall; guess I gamed it nicely today.
I wanted to keep the run no faster than GMP, but that tailwind on the way back home was just carrying me along and I couldn't let it go to waste. Still held back some though, I think this will be a fast recovery.
Splits were 8:18, 8:01, 8:13, 8:19, 8:14, 8:08, 8:06, 8:12, 8:00, 7:55, 7:57, 7:51, 7:43, 7:43, 7:43, 7:45, 7:35, 7:25, 7:18, 7:12, 6:59. AP 7:50.
I didn't even feel my achilles (unless I tried) until mile 9 or 10, then it started tugging on the uphills. It stayed at a dull ache most of the rest of the way. I think I must be favoring it a bit when I run because I was having some weird aches and pains on the left (bad) side: hip flexor, groin, glute. After the run, I made an ice bath -- cold water plus whatever ice we had. That was an experience. I think it helped though. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| 4 recovery miles in the evening. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 4.00 |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 60F, wind S 13 mph. 7:59 AP. Feeling pretty good this morning. I'm not noticing my achilles too much while running, so it's close to healed. No anti-inflammatories in my system for this one either! | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| 66F, S 15-22 mph. 8:03 AP. Felt worn out, but managed a few GMP at the end. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 53F, 8 mph wind. 8:36 avg pace. Wasted some great running weather with a recovery run but I think I needed it. Looks like I'll be working all weekend...$!#% |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 40F, 2mph wind. Perfect day for running, but I just did 7 at an 8:13 pace this morning. Then quickly packed up the kids to watch mommy get another 5K PR at a local race. Then we ran with the kids in the 1 mile fun run. I ran with our 4-year-old; she did the first quarter mile in about 2 minutes then a lot of walking after that, finishing just under 15 for the mile. Then off to work, which ended up being pretty much cancelled for the day. Still gotta go in tomorrow, but I'll try to get in a longish run beforehand. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 6.00 | 17.00 |
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61F, wind S 15-22 mph. Plan was for 7 easy, 10 @ GMP. Actual was 7 easy, 4 @ GMP, 6 tempo. I love that I was able to pull this off with a temperature above 60 (barely above 60, but whatever).
7 easy - AP 8:06 -- 8:26, 8:00, 8:10, 8:06, 8:00, 7:55, 8:03
10 hard - AP 7:07 -- 7:23, 7:27, 7:27, 7:20, 7:08, 7:09, 7:01, 6:47, 6:46, 6:42
Overall AP 7:31.
Unlike my last long run, the last 10 here were overall neutral/unaided. My legs were pretty fresh for this run with a couple easy days prior to today. I think I have been underestimating how important that is, and instead putting all the importance on temperature. My taper (which begins....NOW) should take care of that. No complaints from my achilles either, feeling good! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
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73F, S 12 mph. Hot one - we reached 100 in some parts of town yesterday so I guess it couldn't quite cool off from that overnight.
The plan is 20% fewer miles this week. AP 8:04 today. I was reading some of the Boston race reports from the blog's elite and it was interesting to me that a couple mentioned the "heat" (temps in the low 50s) being a factor. Guess it's all relative. If I get those kind of temperatures at OKC, I will sacrifice a goat on the altar of the god of running weather in appreciation of his mercy. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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5 @ 8:23 AP.
Some pictures from the kids' run on Saturday...
Keira (3 yr old) made it half a mile with some assistance from mommy.
Elle (4 yr old) on the homestretch of the 1-mile race, keeping an wary eye on the strange giant blue bear (not pictured) who was cheering people in. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.42 | 0.00 | 14.42 |
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57F, foggy, low wind. This was my last actual workout before the marathon, and my last run of more than 8 miles. Plan was 6 easy, 8 @ GMP. For the 8 GMP miles I averaged 7:26 (7:27, 7:21, 7:24, 7:32, 7:24, 7:29, 7:25, 7:29). The route I mapped was a little long so I cooled down the last 0.42. 7:45 AP for the run.
I was hoping it would feel nice and easy but I never got into a rhythm with it and never felt completely comfortable. I still completed the workout but couldn't have completed a marathon today at that pace, even with these nice temperatures. Fortunately I will have a taper, gu's, crowd support, etc. for the actual race. I can also afford a bit slower pace for a 3:20; an extra 10 sec/mile could help. So I'm not panicking. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 69F, S 17-25 mph. 5 @ 8:37 pace. First couple glances at the 10-day forecast show an overnight low of 55 for the race, and ~10 mph winds....that's decent. Too early to trust it too much, but it would be better than Houston -- at least the first half of the race would be in the upper 50s if the forecast holds. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 74F, S 15 mph. 8:18 AP, which felt exhausting in the sun. I slept in a little today which was worth about a 5-degree penalty. It's hard to bite the bullet and slow down, but I definitely don't want to be this tired during every run this summer. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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69F, S 15-20 mph. 7:49 AP on some nice fresh legs, included a quarter-mile hard up the one significant hill along my route.
Time to share my obsessive research on race day weather for OKC. Here's the scoop so far. Pretty much every place I've looked agrees that this coming weekend there will be a hot morning followed by a cold morning. They disagree on when the cold air will arrive. 4 out of 7 think it will come before the race, including my two most trusted sites, weather.com and wundergound, which put the low at 53 and 49. Awesome. The other 3 out of 7 say the cold air doesn't arrive until after the race, including 2 local TV stations that put the low at 58 and 62. Weather.com thinks the low will be 67 the morning before the front (which right now they say will be the morning before the race - Saturday). So if it stalls out, it could be a painful day. Guess I'll just keep checking it 5 times a day until I see what I want. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 54F, low wind. What a nice morning. 8 @ 7:48 AP, last 3 in the 7:20s. I'm going to take tomorrow off (a chance to really focus on my amateur meteorology) and then a couple more short runs to shake things out on Thursday and Friday. Travel Saturday, race Sunday. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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45F, calm, clear. May not get another day like this in Abilene for about 6 months. AP 7:58 - easy miles with 6 or 7 pickups to faster paces for 30-45 sec. I felt really fresh and springy.
The front may arrive right during the race. Should be nice temps, low 50s to start but the front will bring a north wind and rain -- hopefully no thunderstorms. So it looks like I'll probably be running my second marathon in the rain too. Good news is it'll be 10+ degrees cooler than Houston, bad news is the wind. Don't think it'll be terribly strong; anyone that runs in this part of the country knows that the north wind is to be respected and the south wind is to be feared. Sunday will have the north wind. Looking good! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.84 | 0.00 | 3.84 |
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63F, S 22-30 mph. 8:38 AP, probably my last run before OKC.
Weather predictions for the race:
Temperature - beautiful -- starts at 52 or so, and actually decreases throughout the day (52 is the high) due to the front.
Skies - It'll be overcast (good) but rainy (not ideal, but ok). Like my first marathon I'll just be hoping for no lightning so they will actually have a race.
Wind - Likely 20 mph from the north. The front is arriving right before the race and bringing some wind. It'll probably be a good negative split day with a headwind from (roughly) miles 2-11, and a tailwind from 18-26.
I'm definitely going to hit up Wal Mart today for some throw-away clothes I can wear in the corrals. The orange shirt must be protected until race time. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 3.84 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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Made it to the hotel, got all the gear, etc, and now just relaxing a bit before dinner. Danielle and I drove about 3/4 of the course - definitely more hilly than I'm used to, but no huge monsters or anything. Danielle is getting nervous! She's doing her first full but is dealing with a tendon issue.
Looking at the weather, we might catch a break and not get rained on too horribly. There's also a good chance of temps in the upper 40s, maybe even the whole race! Wind will be there, but it is probably the only enemy out there at this point. Just gotta suck it up the first half and maybe accept some off-pace miles when the wind gets angry.
I'll get a report up late Sunday night. In the meantime my bib # is 299 if any anyone wants to look it up beforehand. | |
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| | Race: |
Oklahoma City Marathon (26.43 Miles) 03:15:51, Place overall: 67, Place in age division: 16 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 26.43 | 26.43 |
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Marathon #2 is in the books, and I escaped with a 10-minute PR!
Weather 49F start, 47F finish, wind NE 15-30. Driving rain. The night before the race it looked like the rain might actually stay to the south of us. That did not happen. The first bolt of lightning made its appearance as we were driving to the race. The first rain started about 45 minutes before the race as we were walking to the starting line. Due to lightning, the race was delayed 30 miserable minutes. I actually even saw lightning while running on the course several times, but thankfully they never called it. The rain pretty much did not let up the entire time. I didn’t mind being wet but puddles were unavoidable and my shoes were waterlogged by mile 2. The wind coming from the NE meant there would be some headwind legs on the back half of the race. It was tough wind at times, for sure, but I’ve definitely seen worse in Abilene.
My strategy going into the race was to run in the 7:30s for the first 15 or so; once again I got excited and ditched my plan early but this time it ended up being the right move. Below are the splits from Garmin, along with commentary.
Miles 1-5 7:23, 7:16, 7:19, 7:12, 7:18. I lined up pretty close to the front. I was shivering at the starting line (40 degree wind chill, pouring rain) so I knew it was going to be a good day. The 7:30 pace was the fastest sign they had – not many elites in this race (no prize $$). So I crossed the starting line maybe 10 seconds after the gun. In the early miles, I was getting angry with myself for running faster but it honestly felt easy so I didn’t actually make any adjustments unless I saw it below 7:10 which happened a few times.
Miles 6-10 7:15, 7:24, 7:19, 7:38, 7:35. Kind of a wide variety of splits but it has to do a lot more with wind and hills; the effort was pretty even. 6, 7 and 8 were through neighborhoods and a lot of the headwind was blocked. I was breathing really hard after 9 and 10 and thought I might have blown my race already but then reminded myself those were uphill + headwind miles (out in the open and fully exposed to wind).
Miles 11-15 7:26, 7:19, 7:21, 7:24, 7:19. Mile 11 was the last headwind mile (only half of it) until 17. During this stretch I really caught my breath after fighting wind and hills. I got super relaxed and started to realize that it would be a pretty good race. This stretch was also nice and flat, which is what I’m used to. High spirits here.
Miles 16-20 7:23, 7:29, 7:24, 7:21, 7:13. Miles 17-19 had a quartering headwind and a driving rain which was quite annoying hitting my face. I plodded on pretty well though. Mile 20 is where I started to lose it in Houston. Today, it was downhill and starting to turn downwind; I actually saw 6:50-something on the watch about halfway through it before I came back to reality. Having my second-fastest mile come at #20 was the confidence boost I needed for that last 10K.
Miles 21-26 7:21, 7:36, 7:30, 7:43, 7:25, 7:52, 3:12 (0.43 miles). Starting at mile 21.5 or so, the course starts climbing – nothing dramatic, just a 100 foot climb or so over 2.5 miles; it’s a good steady uphill. The other thing that happened at around 21.5 was the course joined with the half-marathoners. That was kind of weird. I hadn’t thought about it a great deal beforehand but the people-dodging got to be a little much. Definitely ran some bonus mileage here. I could not even really see any marathoners, it seemed like it was just me and the walkers for a few miles. The good news is there was a tailwind, and my times didn’t suffer too bad although I could tell my legs weren’t quite working the same as before. Around mile 24, there was a lot more separation between the two races and I saw more marathoners that I could focus on. I could finally feel myself starting to hit the wall around mile 25 but thankfully the race was just about over. I fought through mile 26 and was determined to bring it below 8:00, legs or no legs, and I did! The last half-mile or so was at 7:26 pace (downhill); it felt like a dead sprint. Final time was about 3:15:51. The results page is down, so nothing official yet. I’ll update with placing and official splits later. Danielle said 67th out of 2,494. Let's go with that. The two halves ended up being something like 1:36, 1:39.
Post race After my race ended the conditions actually got worse somehow. It actually started hailing for a period. Poor Danielle. She made it though, she is now a marathoner. I am not kidding when I say that the most difficult part of the day was waiting in my drenched clothes and shorts for Danielle and then walking almost a mile to the car in some ridiculous wind (gusts around 40 mph) and rain. We were both shaking pretty violently from the cold. Seriously, that was more painful than the 26th mile.
Battle damage is all on my lower right leg - some tendon on the back side of my knee that connects to the top of the calf is the worst. I also have a tender achilles and maybe a calf strain and some other weird stuff. Nothing that will keep me out for more than a week, I don’t think.
Next up is a hot summer of base building. I hope to work my way up to 70 miles a week by September or so. I don’t think I’ll run another marathon until Houston in January but it’s too early to say for sure. I hope to be ready for a 3:05 and a BQ at Houston since that is the new time standard (not that I’ll actually get into the race with it). Thanks for the support FRB’ers, it was a great day!
** update - officially 67/2495 overall, 62/1515 males, and 16/232 in AG. HM split was 1:36:21 so the 2nd half was 1:39:30. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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Legs are still pretty trashed 2 days later. They are feeling worse than they did after my first marathon in Houston, probably due to the hills and the additional miles I was able to maintain pace. I'm guessing no run tomorrow, but maybe Thursday.
Some more random race stuff since it's still on my brain...
- My first 10k (44:52) and half (1:36:21) were both technically PR's.
- I was top 3% overall, top 4% of men, and top 7% of AG
- In the last 10K, I passed 12 people and was passed by 4
I also looked more at the splits vs. elevation and wind and am convinced I ran a really even-paced race until the very end, so I don't think I could have done any better, strategically.
And finally, a couple of pictures. I'm really not as miserable as I look, that's just my running face apparently. Ok, maybe a little worse than usual, it was a marathon.
Somewhere between miles 21 and 24, going around the wall of half-marathoners.
not sure exactly where this was | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| 3 @ 8:48 avg. I'd say recovery is lagging about a day behind my first marathon. Legs still had a lot of marathon stink on them. Nice to be running again though. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 3.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 54F today...right now I don't see anymore 50s on the 10-day forecast; hopfully that wasn't the last. I ran 5 at an 8:27 avg. Dead legs, but not really sore anymore. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 69F, SSW 16-26 mph. The high is 100 today, thank God for mornings. 8:14 AP on legs that finally didn't feel completely dead. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| 74F, S 10-15 mph, sunny. hot. 8:17 AP. If there is some kind of conditioning process your body goes through for running in the heat, I have not gone through it yet this year...that was kind of brutal. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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72F, S 17-27 mph. 8:16 AP. About the same pace as Sunday but it felt really easy today since I got an earlier start and was never really in direct sun.
In other running-related news, I am signed up for Houston in January next year. They opened some early registration spots (available to sub 4-hr marathoners) so Danielle grabbed one for me and now I guess we wait for them to verify the time. Feels good, a lot better than going through the lotto! Now I can plan out the Fall season a little better, race-wise. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.06 | 0.00 | 6.06 |
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71F, cloudy, S 14 mph. 8:10 AP. I had to be at work unreasonable early today, so I got in this run at lunch. Fortunately it's a cool day today.
I also forgot my Garmin (left it at home) so I mapped it after the fact and I got pretty darn close to my planned 6, although I had an idea of how far to go beforehand since I've run this route before. I always see people talk about how liberating it is to run without the Garmin, but I hate it. Hate it. |
| New Blue Asics Miles: 6.06 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 1.00 | 10.00 |
| 64F, low wind, maybe 8-10 mph. 7:55 AP. I'm doing a 5K on Saturday, so I ran easy with 6 x 1-minute at 5K pace spinkled in randomly. As hard as those 1-minute intervals felt, I'm not real optimistic of a PR on Saturday. I've just felt really sluggish and slow-pokey since the marathon. Maybe the 5K will wake me up a little. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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58F, low north wind. 5 @ 8:16 AP. Just a short run in the hopes that I can eke out a decent time in the 5K tomorrow morning. The weather should be nice, not windy like my PR a couple months ago. I wish I was feeling faster though; my PR was 6:17/mile (per Garmin) which felt like an all-out sprint yesterday. We'll see, who knows....
I'm dealing with a bit of metatarsalgia right now which is a bit of pain on the ball of my left foot, near the base of the middle toe. It's not a show stopper at this point but it's making me re-think wearing flats for the race, which would probably take PR out of the picture. Smart money says I'll wear the flats anyway. | |
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| | Race: |
Local 5K - SPCA (3.1 Miles) 00:19:23, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.23 | 3.05 | 6.28 |
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52F, north wind 10-15. Close to perfect running weather, just a little breezy.
Well, I won my first race. It was an ok turnout, a bit over 100 people maybe. Looking around at the starting line I didn't see any of the usual suspects that win these local events so I made sure to listen to the directions just in case. Fortunately they did a great job of marking the course and had people out there directing. They definitely needed that, as they had to cram 5000 meters of race into a pretty small area around the zoo.
I started out in 1st right away and just built a lead, maybe won by a minute or two. Abilene isn't exactly a runner town, obviously, if I can win. Also, I think maybe a fourth of the participants were running with dogs. It really all just depends on who decides to show up to these things and no one did today. It kinda sucked the last mile, because I could've used someone to push me a bit. Don't get me wrong, I was winded but there was probably some coasting. My last .05 miles was the same pace as the rest of the race.
I'm a little conflicted as to whether I call it a PR. My splits on Garmin were 6:20, 6:20, 6:27, 0:17 for 3.05 miles, so it measured short. My AP was 6:22 today per Garmin but 6:17 per Garmin on my PR in March. However, the course had a ton of tight curves and hairpin turns that could've easily caused the Garmin to shortchange the distance, and the runner's club (that puts on the races) usually gets it right. Here's what I'm talking about...
I'll stick with my old 19:41 as a PR as I just don't feel like Garmin would've been that far off, even with all the crazy turns. The cool part about it all was winning anyway - I got a $25 gift card to Academy, a free 1-hour massage and a mug. Fun morning, and I think it woke up my legs, finally. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 5.00 | 14.00 |
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54F, low wind. The clouds were even blocking the sun today, perfect...
7:29 AP. My calves were a little tight from racing in the flats, but I wasn't going to waste one of the last nice days we'll have, so I picked up the pace early today. Splits were 8:02, 7:39, 7:46, 7:40, 7:36, 7:35, 7:28, 7:32, 7:21, 7:15, 7:16, 7:12, 7:16, 7:06. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 4.00 | 12.00 |
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58F, SE 15-25 mph. Last morning of our little cold snap, back to warm temps tomorrow.
AP 7:37 for this run. For the workout I did 8 easy, followed by 4 fast miles. Averaged about 8:01/mile for the first 8, then 6:51/mile for the last 4 (6:50, 6:51, 6:56, 6:47). It was harder than I thought it should've been, but I didn't really set myself up for success as I left myself a quartering headwind for the last 2.5 or so (the wind direction on the computer led me to believe it would be crosswind). I could tell it wasn't a direct crosswind because every time it died down for a second I felt like I got a kick in the pants and a burst of speed. Anyway, my hope is that I will be able to repeat this run in August when it's 75 degrees; then I'll know I've improved over the summer. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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69F, S 16-24 mph. 8:40 AP.
Well, I think I decided that 242 more days is a really long time to wait until my next marathon. I might still end up waiting anyway, but I am looking for one in September or early October, preferably within 1-day driving distance, that isn't too hot. There's one in Tyler, TX on October 9th (close to Danielle's hometown) but that one will be hot and hilly. I'm probably asking the impossible, but if anyone has any ideas let me know. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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73F, S 19-28 mph. 8:29 AP. I did not enjoy that. Last mile was almost 9:00...is it October yet?
Ok, on to my fall marathon. Totally nerded out and created this yesterday:
Those are the top 6, thanks for the help on some of those ideas. I've got a while to decide but there is no clear-cut favorite here. I think Odessa and Frankenthon are probably at the bottom of the list but the other 4 all have appeal for various reasons. Hmmmmmm.... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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Thunderstorms this morning, so I did a quick 3 on the TM on base in the morning. Maybe more later. Maybe not.
PM - I got off work nice and early, so I decided to do the other 3 in the neighborhood. Temp was in the mid 80-s and I ran at a near-suicidal 8:25 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| No running this weekend, we caught the kids' stomach virus. It was....ugly. Feeling better now on Sunday afternoon so I will probably go for a few tomorrow. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.06 | 0.00 | 6.06 |
| 74F, SSE 17 mph. Made it through the run ok, just had a bunch of nasty stomach acid burps the first few miles. Hamburger-flavored stomach acid...mmmmm. 8:45 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
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73F, SSE 12 mph. 8:33 AP. I started out really slow today and was able to last through 12 miles. The last one was a sub-8! Not sure why I'm celebrating being able to do a single mile at MP + 30 sec....I suck. Anyway, I felt a little less beat down today so maybe I'm a step closer to acclimating a bit. My stomach is still hanging on to everything for a long time, so maybe that's a small factor too - it's hard to hydrate.
We're off to San Antonio today to visit Shamu and friends on Wednesday. We thought we'd be clever and go early this year when it's not so hot, but the high is 100 on Wednesday anyway. Guessing I won't run tomorrow, but maybe a few from the hotel on Thursday morning before we head back. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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76F, 10 mph winds. Ran from the hotel in San Antonio. 8:10 AP this morning. I think it's starting to get a little easier. Maybe being outside all day yesterday helped. We got to Sea World before it opened and left when it closed, 7+ hours, and the kids had no major tantrums and minimal whining -- pretty amazing. It just keeps getting a little easier each year. Sure enough, the car was indicating 100F on the nose as we left.
Oh yeah, and normally I think central TX is only a few degrees warmer than Abilene. This morning Abilene was in the mid-50s. Just twist that knife in my back, Abilene. We're back in Abilene now, and we should beat our record high for the day tomorrow. Record is 103, high is forecasted at 106. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 0.00 | 14.00 |
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73F, S 20-30 mph. Running in Abilene again if you couldn't tell by the wind. I headed up to CR 100, my best E/W road, and ran with a nice lean (in crosswinds) for 60% of the run.
AP 7:55 today, with a sizeable negative split, and a solid effort. I think I have gotten as acclimated to heat running as I will get. Even in July/August it won't be a great deal warmer than this (I hope). My guess is the same effort would've been worth about 20 sec/mile faster in cooler temps, so it's affecting me but not nearly as bad as a week ago. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 80F, SSW 16-26 mph. This was the low! I guess with the temp hitting 107 yesterday and forecasted for 109 today, there wasn't much hope for a cool morning. I was planning on recovery miles anyway so it worked out. 8:29 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.56 | 0.50 | 14.06 |
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75F, S 22-31 mph. Getting a little tired of the wind. I have to go at least 2.5 miles north or south to get to an eastbound road out of town but once I get eastbound the wind isn't so bad. I just have to decide when I want to suffer through the headwind part each morning.
8:04 AP today, with 5 x 0.1 mile pickups on the way home. I will slowly start working in more through the summer (probably with plenty of rest like today) to try and build some speed and strength. Then transition to more LT stuff and tempos when it starts to get cooler. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| 75F, S 16-24 mph. 7:58 AP. Pretty good effort out there today with a headwind the last few miles. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 77F, S 14 mph. 8:40 AP. No wall of wind to fight through today, kind of nice. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.50 | 1.50 | 14.00 |
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70F, SSE 9 mph. Relative to the last few days, a great morning to run.
Today the plan was 6 x 400m with 400m active recovery to introduce myself to interval training. It was probably the right number of repeats to start out with, and I ended up getting 2 minutes rest between each set which is nice when it's hot outside. I set the watch to 0.25 mile laps today (I guess they were 402m repeats), kind of annoying having it beep every 2 minutes, but I think it was the easiest way to go.
First, a 10 mile warmup @ 8:11 AP.
Then the 400s with rest interval in parenthesis 1:31, (1:58), 1:32, (1:58), 1:30, (1:59), 1:28, (1:56), 1:27, (1:55), 1:27, (1:58).
Then a mile cooldown in 8:05. Overall AP for 14 miles was 7:54.
I was initially shooting for 5k pace on the repeats and ended up doing a little better. Next time I'll probably try 8 repeats and slow down the recovery jogs. On the way home I ran through a cloud of gnats and had about 20 of them stuck to my torso when I finished. What a horrible way to die, drowning in someone's sweat. Well, that's what they get for hanging out on my route. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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67F, low wind. Wasted this nice, cool morning doing a recovery run (8:33 AP) which my legs needed from yesterday. Oh well.
Funny picture from our little vacation last week. The day after Sea World we went on a drive-thru safari and the zebras were very agressive.
I finally decided to dive away from the zebras when one of them stuck its head in the car and ate the entire bag of food, including the bag. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 70F, SSE 12 mph. General aerobic run, 7:53 AP. Felt pretty strong today. Long run tomorrow. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 16.00 | 1.00 | 17.00 |
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71F, low wind. Maybe the worst of the wind season is over. It still blows like crazy in the afternoon but the mornings have been nice the past few days.
At 17 miles, this was my longest run since OKC. I don't see myself trying to go any longer than this during the summer off-season, there's probably no need. AP was 7:57 today. Ended up being a progressive run (I started at 4:30am so the first few miles were ugly). First half was 8:19 AP, second half was 7:35 AP.
Highlights were seeing my first live skunk (after having seen a few dozen carcasses) and having a dog charge through a hay field toward me. It was dark with no moon when it happened, and I could hear the rustling quickly getting closer and sorta see the disturbed grass on a course to intercept me. I was hoping it wasn't a coyote but I got ready and out pops this little 10-pound dog yapping at me. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.37 | 0.70 | 14.07 |
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76F, S 12 mph. 7:55 AP. Fartlek on the way home with 8 x pickups ranging from about 75m - 200m in distance.
In the winter, the weather here can be somewhat unpredictable. In the summer, not so much...
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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76F S 15-21 mph. 8:36 AP.
Danielle obtained an old set of Insanity DVDs from someone and we did Day 1 last night. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to the rest of the workouts. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.51 | 0.00 | 15.51 |
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78F, S 17-27 mph. So last night Danielle and I did day 2 of Insanity - cardio plyometrics or some crap like that. Ouch. Anyway, I realized after we were done as I wobbled over to get some more water that my 15-miler was only 8-9 hours away. So I'd tentatively planned to do 6 x 800m @ 5K pace this morning but after the first mile I cancelled that plan and decided to just survive the run. I ended up doing an 8:09 AP, no fast finish, no intervals, just a heavy-legged solid aerobic effort.
It's possible that increasing my mileage + introducing speedwork + Insanity might be asking for trouble, so I think I'll just do a few fast finishes here and there when I feel good and not worry too much about speed while I'm building this nice fat mileage base. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.50 | 0.00 | 5.50 |
| 77F, S 12 mph. 8:59 AP. More Insanity last night; I needed a nice easy day like this. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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79F S 14-23 mph. 8:14 AP. Got started a little later than usual. When I finished I could've sworn it was 90 degrees out but I checked and it was only 81. I'm doing a race Friday evening (3-hour race) where it will actually be in the 90s so I'm probably in big trouble there...
Last night's Insanity workout was cardio recovery. For a "recovery" it sure crushed my quads. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 4.00 | 15.00 |
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76F, S 15-24 mph. We skipped Insanity last night so this was my first run in awhile without completely dead legs. I figured I'd try a fast finish and do the last 4 miles tempo. In cool weather I'd want 6:50-6:55/mile so I figured I'd be happy to keep the pace below 7:10 today.
First, 11 miles easy, 8:05 AP.
Then 4 fast, 6:56 AP (7:06, 6:59, 6:57, 6:41)
7:46 AP for all 15.
The effort level was probably a bit higher than a normal tempo run, but I was happy with the splits. Probably would've keeled over if I had to do 1 more mile like that though. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.04 | 0.00 | 5.04 |
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76F, low wind. Insanity last night was "pure cardio." You know it's bad when all the fit-looking people in the video are dropping like flies. This morning - recovery run, 5 @ 8:54 AP.
There's a race here Friday evening (9pm-midnight): run as many 1-mile laps as you can in 3 hours. The problem is that the high is 105 on Friday, meaning it will still be close to 100 when the race starts, and maybe low-90s by race finish at midnight. I thought it was a cool concept but not sure about those temps. May just enter anyway and go for 21 miles (8:34 pace). Anything faster seems dangerous; actually 8:34 may even be asking a lot, I really have no idea when it gets that hot. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
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76F, S 20 mph. 7:53 AP. Legs had some pep today for some reason, kind of a mystery since we did Insanity plyometrics last night.
Now for a 2-day taper for my race on Friday night. Although I'm not sure I should be calling it a race. Survival contest, maybe. On the plus side, the high is now only forecasted to be 103 on Friday so might get mid-90s to start. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.16 | 0.00 | 7.16 |
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78F, SSE 17 mph. 7:51 AP.
High on Friday now 106. Not sure why I care though; what's the difference whether the "race" starts at 95F or 98F? | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.82 | 0.00 | 5.82 |
| 79F, 17-27 mph. 8:33 avg. Race pace for tomorrow? Anyway, looks like it'll be solidly in the 90s for the race tomorrow. Start about 98, finish around 91. I thought of a great idea as I finished up this run - I should have done training runs in the heat. Timely thinking, SlowJoe... | |
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| | Race: |
Summer Solstice 3-hour Endurance Run (22 Miles) 03:03:40, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 22.02 | 0.00 | 22.02 |
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100F, S 13 mph. When I got in my car to go to the race at 8pm, it was 104, but apparently just a nice cool 100 for the 9pm start.
This race had 3 and 6 hour options. There were maybe 60 people total, with the majority probably doing 3 hours but the 6 hour race had quite a few too -- lots of Marathon Maniacs came out for a rare Friday marathon. There was a 1-mile course (which was refreshingly accurate by my Garmin) and the goal was to complete as many laps as you could.
The big question mark for me was how do I pace myself in 100-degree heat? I mean, I knew it would be a lot slower than MP, but how much - 30 seconds, a minute, 90 seconds? My battle was trying to feel out a pace that wouldn't kill me, but still not waste too much time.
Miles 1-7: 8:19, 8:19, 8:23, 8:15, 8:27, 8:15, 8:13.
The race started at a nice slow pace and I was in the lead pack of 6 for the first 2 miles. I was relieved no one was going fast because I might have been stupid enough to follow. Actually the pack broke up a little after that; 3 guys dropped back, 1 took off, and me and Ironman (he was decked out in Ironman gear, complete with skimpy Ironman-labeled shorts) ran together for the next couple miles until I dropped him at a water stop. For hydration, it was good we had a 1-mile loop because there was an aid station every mile. At this point I was taking 1 cup each time around. It felt miserably hot but the pace felt doable so far.
Miles 8-14: 8:11, 8:11, 8:16, 8:13, 8:30, 8:42, 8:29. About the time I started this portion, the timing people told me I was in the lead, so either the guy in front dropped out or he was in the 6-hour race. Right after that I heard someone come up right behind me. Ironman had caught back up. He stayed on my heels for a mile, then passed me. I sorta tried to keep up but it felt like too much so I let him drop me. At this point (mile 12-ish) I was getting thirsty and tired too. I started walking through the aid station each time, grabbing 2 or 3 cups and walking while I guzzled them down. With this new approach, miles 12-14 were slow, as I took it easy running too, but I managed to get a bit of a second wind.
Miles 15-22: 8:13, 8:06, 8:15, 8:11, 8:22, 8:29, 8:38, 8:32. I was 1:56:xx at 14 miles and saw that there was a chance I could finish 22. Picked up the pace for a few miles and started to overheat. I was giving myself little pat-downs to make sure I was still sweating, and I was getting a bit dry. And crusted with salt. Anyway, heat-induced apathy set in and I slogged to mile 21. Then they told me that I could run mile 22 since I started it before 3 hours. I was devastated that I had to do another mile. Like, completely crushed. Anyway, I finished behind Ironman, but he kept going - he was in the 6-hour event! So, I had myself a (somewhat hollow) victory. Kudos to the 2 guys who ran faster and farther. So I got a gift card to Academy worth a little more than the race fee - bonus!
When we finished, they announced the temperature was 95. Somehow that felt cool at the time. I drank a ton of liquids after I was done. I felt as if I had run a marathon, but fortunately today my legs aren't marathon-sore. Just long-run sore. I guess the heat helped in that respect -- slower miles = quicker recovery. I weighed myself this morning (after I thought I re-hydrated) and I was at 143. The lowest I have ever seen in my adult life is 148, so kind of freaky. I probably wouldn't do another run like this, but I'm glad I did this once.
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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9:00 pace
I took a look at the detailed results of the race (when our stupid internet finally came back) and learned a couple things. I was only a minute behind Ironman after mile 22, and he slowed down a lot after that. The other guy who I thought was in front, actually wasn't (although he still did the 6-hour race too, and won). I passed him in the last lap. I remember doing it too, but he was going so slow I thought it wasn't him. So it makes me feel a little better that they both slowed down a ton after 3 hours. Still can't imagine going another 14 miles after I finished though...wow. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 78F, S 24-36 mph. 8:33 avg. The headwind sections were kind of funny, really ground to a halt. This week is a scale-back week with mileage in the 40s, then back to building up again. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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69F, low wind. A big storm came in last night and dropped a much-needed 1 inch of rain--it's the most we've had since April. That made for an awesome cool morning.
We did Insanity last night after 4 days off so my legs were a bit tired but the cool weather cancelled it out and I ran a nice 7:53 AP. I almost wore a shirt today; turns out I should've because it was a bad bug day - I had at least a hundred gnats stuck to me after the run (new PR). | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.05 | 0.00 | 10.05 |
| 69F, low wind - a repeat of yesterday. I think the cool weather may be coming to an end soon, though. Today, just built aerobic base, 7:59 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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72F, low wind. Another really nice morning. 7:50 AP.
I tested out the Kinvaras today - I'm trying to find a lightweight, every day shoe in which I can eventually run a marathon; I'd read nothing but good things about this shoe (and derhammer obviously is a fan) so I tried em (father's day present!) and I was pretty happy with them. Weight-wise, they are only supposed to be worth 5 sec/mile if you believe the rule-of-thumb that's out there. Seems like they will be good for a lot more than that (I kept looking at my watch expecting the normal 8:00-8:15 and seeing 7:40s), but I'm guessing a lot of that is mental -- kinda felt like I was just gliding along. Another factor might have been the easier "cardio recovery" Insanity workout last night, which isn't as exhausting. Comfort-wise, they felt as nice as my trainers. I'll wait a few days and see if I get the achilles soreness (it has taken awhile to show up when I've run in flats before) then try again. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 2.00 | 12.00 |
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74F, S 10 mph.
No Insanity workout last night as I got home from work around 10pm, which is bedtime for me. 7:44 avg for the run, which was a progressive finish. Last 5 were 7:42, 7:34, 7:23, 7:16, 6:53. Slight headwind on the last 3. I was working pretty hard at the end, although in mile 11 I had to stop dead for 5 seconds (right before my only tough hill) and slide over to the deep grass as someone up ahead decided the shoulder was an appropriate lane to drive in. I guess that's why I run against traffic.
Tomorrow will be a day off, my rest week is over and I think my legs have a bit more life in them now. I hope to crush that life out of them over the next few weeks with some nice high mileage. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 17.00 | 0.00 | 17.00 |
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78F start, 80F finish, S 14-21 mph. Direct sun for the last 9-10 miles made it a tough one, kind of an oven effect out there.
7:58 AP -- 8:14 pace out (+250 ft) and 7:42 pace back home (-250 ft). Probably an even effort given the elevation change. I ran the hilliest route I could find out here which is mostly dirt roads, so a nice challenge. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 80F, SW 9-17 mph. 8:54 AP. My schedule has moved around a bit - I'm taking Saturdays off to give Danielle the full morning for a long run. Now my running week starts on Sunday (which makes it match up with the blog week) and the long run is the first run in my 6-day block. Anyway, I expect some easy Mondays now! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.80 | 1.25 | 8.05 |
| 80F, low wind, direct sun. 7:50 avg. Went a little longer in the Kinvaras today - they still feel good. I made a pathetic attempt at a couple tempo-paced miles on the way home, and pulled the plug pretty early in the second mile. Some of the reason was laziness but it was tough to get going, maybe too hot for me to do any speed. I am starting to think this is not even a heat wave anymore; it might just be the new reality for the next couple of months. I'm still focused on base-building anyway, but I hate to see myself get lazy and never push myself. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.00 | 0.00 | 13.00 |
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79F, S 10 mph. 8:05 avg pace. Really tired and slow to start out, but mostly high 7's on the way back. Just some good slog-it-out miles...
Danielle and I just finished week 2 of Insanity last night (it only took 3 weeks), and it was a tough one -- Pure Cardio + Cardio Abs. We'll get through the program eventually! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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79F, S 10 mph. 8:47 AP.
Danielle found this article about the last race I was in, been meaning to post it... Also, some good news - she was accepted in the Houston lotto, so we will both be doing the full in January. Good stuff. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 3.00 | 15.00 |
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77F, low wind. 7:47 avg. I didn't do this on purpose, but it ended up being a perfect progressive run with each mile faster than the last. Well, the fast finish in the last few miles was on purpose, because I felt pretty good today.
8:43, 8:16, 8:15, 8:12, 8:10, 8:09, 7:58, 7:57, 7:48, 7:33, 7:32, 7:23, 7:09, 7:02, 6:41. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 |
| 78F, low wind. 7:59 AP. Ran to the city dump and back. Nothin fancy... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 79F, SW 10 mph. 8:44 avg. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.50 | 0.50 | 10.00 |
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78F. Longest run with the Kinvaras so far - they are still feeling pretty good but I'm taking it slow just in case. Aerobic base miles today with 8 x 100m-ish strides on the way home. 7:53 avg for the run.
I finished reading Advanced Marathoning by Pfitzinger. It's the first actual book I've read in awhile, and had lots of good info. Really filled some knowledge gaps I had about marathon training, and running in general. Highly recommend it. I'll be doing an 18-week training plan for Houston, starting in September, from this book as well. I'm looking forward to actually having some direction for my training. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 78F. 8:46 AP. I know every crack, piece of debris/roadkill and thorny bush sticking out on this route...looking forward to a little vacation - visiting family next week around Texas and Louisiana, and running in some different spots. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.05 | 6.00 | 15.05 |
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79F. 7:47 avg. I convinced myself to get in a workout today - 6 heat-adjusted, tempo-paced miles. To seal the deal in this self-arbitration proceeding (which took place during my warmup), I offered a 1-minute jog between each mile. So the workout was first 8 miles easy, then 6 x 1-mile with 60 sec jog in between. Then cool down whatever was left.
EZ 8 -- 8:10 AP
tempo 6 -- 7:09 AP (7:15, 7:12, 7:12, 7:14, 7:07, 6:53).
The 1-minute jogs were around 8:20s for the pace. I liked this workout. One minute is obviously not enough to recover much, but it gives you something to look forward to. It was hard enough that I was glad to be done but easy enough that I didn't want to quit running, which is the normal workout feeling for me.
This afternoon, I'm going in to get my free massage from winning a 5K awhile back. I'm a little nervous that it might be from a dude, because they didn't say. I know Danielle thinks I'm stupid, but I am going to try to be mature either way. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 16.82 | 0.00 | 16.82 |
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79F, 85% humidity (in Houston). 8:51 avg. Great run in a thick, warm Houston morning with FRB legend Flatlander. Tough conditions, but we had a good time and the miles actually flew by pretty fast, it seemed. Thanks Mark.
Got back and took the kids to a fun (free) park downtown before it got even hotter. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 16.82 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 92F. Got a late start, so this was a slow, short run in the heat. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.42 | 0.00 | 14.42 |
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79F, 88% humidity. Last run in Houston. It was a pretty fun route - went all the way to downtown and back to Memorial Park staying on walking/jogging paths most of the way. 8:06 AP. Longest run in the Kinvaras - felt good.
Got home, toweled off, and went with Dad to play 18 holes. I haven't played in over a year and I really suck now, but managed to barely break a hundred (98) with a par on the final hole. So I got in 14 miles and a round of golf before 11 am! Now in Baton Rouge for a few days to visit more family. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.37 | 0.00 | 6.37 |
| 80F, 93% humidity (Baton Rouge). 8:42 avg. Ran from the hotel, mostly in a very confusing neighborhood. They must have planned it so no one ever wants to take a shortcut through it. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.62 | 0.00 | 13.62 |
| 80F, 98% humidity. 8:20 AP. I wanted to run to the LSU campus but our hotel was on the wrong side of I-10 so I drove to the other side and looked for a place to park. Settled on the Jimmy Swaggart Bible College, which had an empty parking lot (insert joke here). I should've scouted this route ahead of time because I spent a lot of time clomping through high, wet grass. There were very few sidewalks until I got to the campus, and I was running during rush hour. I did one loop around University Lake and headed back. The 2-3 mile loop around the lake was the only nice part of the run. More clomping through grass, etc on the way back. The heat index was in the 90s by the time I finished thanks to the ridiculous humidity. Kind of a miserable day, but it's done. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 13.62 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 17.00 | 0.00 | 17.00 |
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77F, 90%. Longview, TX. 8:11 AP. I ran a big loop to the east of town, lots of good hills. It was still warm and muggy but I felt a lot better today after an impromptu day off yesterday. Sped it up pretty good the last half mile, and felt really smooth and fast. I'll probably take tomorrow off too, and try to get back on schedule and back to normal build-up mileage next week. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 17.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 3.00 | 15.00 |
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77F, 90%. 7:54 AP. I'd been putting off this one workout (6 x 800, jog 400 between) for a long time. I had various internal excuses - I was tired from Insanity, I forgot to set up the Garmin, it's too complicated, etc, but today they were gone. I haven't done Insanity in over a week, and I ran on jogging trail that was accurately marked every quarter mile (so all I had to do was hit the lap button at the appropriate post).
So, I finally gave in. First I did 10.5 easy to get some nice miles under me (and I wanted to set up so I didn't have a 180 turnaround in the middle of a repeat. 10.5 easy was 8:14/mile. Then 6 x 0.5 mile (in bold) with 0.25 jog (in parenthesis).
3:18, (2:11), 3:12, (2:06), 3:16, (2:09), 3:13, (2:07), 3:10, (2:13), 2:52, (2:05).
The last quarter of that 2:52 was 1:18.5, I kinda let it fly the last little bit. Averaged 6:20 pace for the repeats, just about 5k pace (although most were a bit slower). We'll see how the achilles does - it was my longest run in the Kinvaras and had a lot of hills and speed. If I make it through ok, I think these will be my marathon shoes (once I can test them in a 20-miler). | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 76F, back in Abilene and a glorious 58% humidity. I have a new respect for those of you suffering through the humidity, because it felt so nice and cool today. 8:46 avg. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.07 | 0.00 | 11.07 |
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AM - 81F, warm morning. 6 miles, 8:45 AP, with more to come this evening. Pfitz says to break recovery days into doubles if you're doing more than 8 miles that day so I will give it a try, as much as I don't want to do doubles....ever. My typical week for the rest of the summer will have 3 MLRs and 3 recovery days, with Tuesday probably getting broken into 2 recovery runs.
PM - 101F, ESE 15-23 mph. I waited until after dinner to run so it could cool off outside... 5 miles and change, also at an 8:45 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 |
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77F, 69% humidity. 7:52 AP -- started in the 8:20s and progressed to 7:20s. Pretty wiped out afterward, more so than I would've expected.
Found this article about training in the heat. There was a study, albeit with cyclists, that showed heat-trained cyclists outperforming other cyclists who did the exact same workouts in cool conditions, even though the time trial was held in cool temperatures. They don't really go into the science of it though. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 81F. 9:08 AP | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 |
| 80F, S 12 mph. 8:02 avg. More slog-it-out miles to finish my running week. Definitely need this day off on Saturday! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.75 | 4.25 | 13.00 |
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80F, S 11 mph. I got an article from JG that inspired me to hit up the track at ACU this morning. It was time to get out of slog-mode, if only for a day. Had a pretty rough start though. I thought I had taken care of business this morning before my run, but I found myself having to stop and walk a few times during my warmup to prevent disaster. Everything was looking like a port-o-potty, but kinda like a mirage in the desert, nothing ever proved to be what I needed. Finally I reached the track and after a lap, not seeing a bathroom, decided I would start and hope I could fend it off.
My planned workout was a ladder: 200-400-800-1200-1600-1200-800-400-200. I jogged half the distance after each one, except the first 200, after which I jogged a full 200m. Felt like the sane thing to do. I made it through the first 3 ok, but in the first 1200 I had to pull up and walk again to defend against you-know-what. Jogged a lap to collect myself, then started again and had to stop again after about 20 seconds. Getting desperate now, I jogged around the facility, looking everywhere until I found the bathrooms, which had a locked gate around them. Fortunately I noticed a "secret passageway" between buildings where they stashed hurdles. I went around, climbed over them, and I was in! I came out a new man, and finished the rest.
200m - 41.2 (5:31 pace)
200m rest - 8:21 pace
400m - 1:33.3 (6:15 pace)
200m rest - 8:16 pace
800m - 3:11.9 (6:26 pace)
400m rest - 8:24 pace
*************POP BREAK****************
1200m - 4:48 (6:26 pace)
600m rest - 8:33 pace
1600m - 6:20 (6:22 pace)
800m rest - 8:29 pace
1200m - 4:49 (6:27 pace)
600m rest - 8:50 pace
800m - 3:04.6 (6:11 pace)
400m rest - 8:45 pace
400m - 1:26.0 (5:46 pace)
200m rest - 9:14 pace
200m - 34.6 (4:38 pace)
After the last one, I walked for about 10-15 seconds to collect myself again and jogged slowly home. I wasn't sure what paces to run on any of these so I just did whatever felt smooth. Kinda looks like they are all over the place but that is pretty normal for me and speedwork. The track is oriented north-south so I had a nice headwind on one of the straightaways; it wasn't terrible wind, but it was there, affecting things a little. The important thing is I got in 4+ miles of (what I consider) faster speeds (averaging roughly 6:16/mile if you take just the fast stuff). AP 7:47 for all 13 miles. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| 81F. Ran at a moderate 7:55 avg pace. Normally I'd do a recovery run after a workout like yesterday's, but I'm having a...minor procedure done this afternoon (not running related) that will probably take me out for the rest of the week. So I kept a solid pace today since I'll have plenty of rest coming up. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.05 | 0.00 | 4.05 |
| 78F, 8:21 AP. No pain or discomfort so I went 4 miles. Best of all, now we can all stop commenting on Monday's entry. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 79F, S 12 mph. 8:11 avg. Felt fine, so I will be ramping up to normal mileage pretty quickly. I did feel a little out of shape though, but I'm sure that'll be erased in a couple workouts. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 79F, 8:11 avg. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 4.00 | 12.00 |
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78F. It started out around 80 but dropped to a bone-chilling 76 by the end of the run. Felt very cool. The 10-day forecast looks especially heinous right now, so it was nice to get this one nice morning.
7:40 AP today. 6 slow miles going out and then picked up the pace coming back (7:26, 7:21, 7:10, 7:06, 7:01, 6:47) averaging 7:08 for the last 6. Definitely good enough to call this my quality workout for the week. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 82F. 8:44 avg. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 |
| 83F. 8:05 AP. Today was the day of dirty looks. I don't see many people out and about where I run, but I passed a guy today who was tending to his goats, and gave him a wave. His glare almost pierced right through me. Then there were 2 people out for a walk (this a first on this particular road) and when I said good morning they gave me the most confused stare ever, and said nothing. What's so strange about a guy running around in the middle of nowhere wearing a fuel belt, reflective belt, and no shirt anyway? Weirdos. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 83F, 8:47 AP. Warm morning again, whadya know... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 |
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83F, S 10 mph. Somewhere around an 8:15 avg mile, forgot to look, but it took 2:03-something. Felt more like a 7:15 effort anyway.
Not sure what the deal was, but my legs were dead today. Normally I can get going after 3 or 4 miles but not really today. Just felt slow and tired the whole time. As an added bonus I feel like I ran 20 instead of 15. Yuck.
I'm trying to get myself ready for a Pfitzinger plan that I'll start in September, and he has a lot of MLRs on the schedule. Hopefully today was just an off day, and not me trying to over-reach with mileage. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 3.00 | 15.00 |
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82F, S 10 mph. Track day. 12 x 400 (200m active recovery) was the workout, was not looking forward to it.
I ran to ACU and jogged around campus for awhile, then hit the track with about 8 miles on the watch; fairly slow warmup. It's funny, during the week the track is unlocked at every entrance but on Sunday everything is locked except for one gate, and I always have to jog around to find it as they seemingly rotate which gate is open. Finally found a way in, and started the intervals. My goal was just to run smoothly and keep it below 5k pace.
1:31.8, 1:31.7, 1:28.0, 1:33.9, 1:30.8, 1:32.7, 1:33.5, 1:33.7, 1:32.7, 1:32.1, 1:32.2, 1:29.0.
Average 400 was 1:31.8 (6:09 pace), and much slower for the 200s. The 200m recovery jogs got slower and slower, paces started in the low 8:00s and eventually almost hit 10:00 as I got tired. So painful. Not smooth at all once I got to 7 or 8 repeats. I told myself I could go ahead and give up if I couldn't keep at least 1:35, but the splits kept unfortunately coming in below. I had to walk a good 100m after the last one to collect myself, then slowly made my way home.
Anyway, the real highlight today is my oldest daughter's birthday party (she turned 5 earlier this week). I have only been around for 1 of her birthdays so far, so this one will make me 2-for-5. Poor kid! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 82F, S 15 mph. 8:57 AP. Legs were pretty crushed from yesterday's workout, so I let them go whatever pace they wanted. They were not too ambitious. I'll do more easy running like this tomorrow and will hopefully be ready to tackle the rest of the week on Wednesday. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.06 | 0.00 | 11.06 |
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AM - 82F, S 12-18 mph. 6 more easy miles at an 8:54 avg. I'll do a few more this evening. Should be awesome with a high of 107 today.
PM - 104F, SSE 14-24 mph. 5 @ 8:55. I thought if I left at 7pm the sun would be low enough to give me some shade. I thought wrong. |
| 1140s #3 Miles: 6.06 | 1150s Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.63 | 0.00 | 14.63 |
| 81F. 8:07 AP. Slog miles. I actually felt pretty good to start and found a solid pace early, but unfortunately forgot half my gatorade. I was almost sure that the 20 oz I had would not cut it for me for a 2-hour run in the heat, but I decided to keep going anyway and (not surprisingly) faded badly as I dried out. Oh well, next time I'll turn around to retrieve the fluids I need...lesson learned. Took the direct route home which cut out about 0.4 miles, thus I was a little short of the planned 15. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 14.63 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
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Treadmill... I flew last night and by the time I got home it was almost 4am so the run just wasn't happening this morning. I just did 4 on the TM later @ 8:41 pace, pretty much just for the sake of putting up something instead of getting a goose egg for today. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.00 | 2.51 | 15.51 |
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78F, 72% humidity. This was the first time in a couple weeks that we actually dipped below 80 in Abilene, although it came with a little humidity. Definitely not complaining though!
7:44 AP today - felt good today so did the standard feel-it-out-but-not-too-crazy progressive run. First 7 miles in the low 8's, then 7:40, 7:40, 7:38, 7:32, 7:27, 7:24, 7:15, 7:03, 3:11 (for the last 0.51). Good way to end the running week after the stinker on Wednesday. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 17.18 | 0.00 | 17.18 |
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74F, 87% humidity. Got 3.5 inches of rain on Friday night, which now accounts for more than a third of our rainfall for the year. Yeah, kinda dry here. Anyway, the storm cooled things off this weekend and made for a nice run this morning.
7:48 AP today. Took a new route out to the wind farms and got some decent hills. The last 8+ miles were all between 7:20-7:32, and as I finshed I felt like I could've run forever at that pace. I was consciously slowing my pace to save gas for the rest of the week. Amazing what a difference a few degrees makes. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 76F, 76%. Really early start to a long day. 9:09 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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AM - 80F, S 10 mph. 7 miles @ 9:01 AP. Hoping to be ready for some intervals tomorrow. It definitely couldn't have happened today - felt kinda worn out.
PM - 4 on the treadmill, 8:41 pace. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.27 | 3.73 | 15.00 |
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77F. I did my big workout for the week today at the track. Stole the idea from Flatlander and did 6 x 1000m, with 600m active recovery.
First, a 6+ mile warmup, averaging 8:04/mile.
Then the 1000s were 3:48, 3:52, 3:48, 3:49, 3:53, 3:47. Average was 3:49.5 - if you're like me a 1000m time means nothing to you, so 3:49.5 converted to min/mile is 6:09 AP. The 600m recovery jogs averaged about 8:40/mile.
Really happy with my performance today. If I recall, I recently did 12 x 400m at the same avg pace. It was about 5 degrees cooler today though, with less wind, and a slightly higher percentage of recovery time today, but these 1000s were controlled while I was flailing on the 400s. The recovery time was still in the 50-90% range recommended by Pfitz in his book (although I came pretty close to 90% on my slower recoveries toward the end) so I'll chalk this workout up as a success.
Cooled down back home until I got to 15 miles total. 7:43 AP on the day. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.04 | 0.00 | 6.04 |
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78F, felt cooler though. 8:41 AP on this recovery run - my legs actually were not dead today...somehow.
Saw a guy walking along the highway in street clothes toward Abilene (very unusual on that stretch of road). As I passed by, he asked me if that was Abilene (and pointed toward it). I said, yeah about a mile past that hill. Then as I jogged away I realized he was probably just released from the prison and had probably walked about 5 or 6 miles already. I guess if they don't have a ride they just kick them out the front door and say "good luck, nearest town is 7 miles that way." | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 3.00 | 15.00 |
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77F. 7:37 AP. Skunk day today, I saw 2 live skunks. Found out they are not intimidated by humans. The first one actually scurried up toward me, to meet me at the side of the road with his tail straight up in the air. Within a second I was running in the ditch on the opposite side; I don't think I've ever moved that fast. Did not get sprayed by either one, fortunately.
The run was great other than that. I'd planned to mostly take it easy but started to really pick it up on the way home. Last 6 were 7:24, 7:22, 7:19, 7:08, 6:53, 6:19.
I think I'm on the verge of an improvement spurt, but probably can't really assess that until it cools down -- this is a run I probably could have done this past spring but probably could not have pulled off for most of this summer.
Oh yeah, and I finally hit 70 miles in a week! I'll step back a little next week with about 50, then try to hit a couple more 70-mile weeks before rolling into my official training plan. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 15.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.22 | 0.00 | 12.22 |
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79F. This is my easy week -- I averaged 67 miles/week over the last 3 weeks so I'll cut mileage back about 20% this week to rest up.
7:39 AP today, pretty evenly paced effort. I'm getting excited about how certain paces are starting to feel. I did have the fast shoes on, but this still felt a lot easier than it should've. Later on in the week I'll do a tempo to better figure out where I'm at. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
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78F. 8:52 AP.
First day of kindergarten! She seemed to be doing fine. The 5-year-old and the 31-year-old, that is. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.06 | 0.00 | 7.06 |
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81F. Warm morning...if today plays out as forecasted, it will be our 70th day hitting 100F this year. Maybe by October we'll get some cooler temps.
8:24 AP today - somewhere between recovery and aerobic base effort. The best part about this rest week: no double today. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| 80F. 8:06 AP. Meh. I put on the go-faster shoes thinking I might do a tempo but was not feeling it at all. It was dark, early, hot, whatever, and I could just never get going, so I just let the legs do whatever they wanted. I'll take it easy tomorrow and go fast on Friday whether I feel like it or not. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.05 | 0.00 | 5.05 |
| 81F. Kind of a slow, refreshing run this morning just before sunrise. 8:55 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 6.00 | 12.00 |
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76F, 80%. Geez, everytime it drops a few degrees we get some humidity with it..
Anyway, I needed a good laugh so I figured I'd try the last 6 @ GMP today (7:03).
First, a brisk 6-mile warmup @ 7:56 AP.
Then 6 GMP @ 6:56 AP. Splits were 6:57, 7:05, 6:55, 6:54, 7:01, 6:40.
7:26 AP for all 12.
Weeeell, let's face it - GMP is pretty much tempo pace right now. Yeah, I know it'll get cooler but there's still a ways to go before 7-minute miles = MP. Overall, not a bad run though. I had to start today at 4:30am so the run was completely in the dark -- with the Garmin 405 I have to lock the bezel in the summertime due to the sweat flying...that means I can't turn on the light and use it for pacing. The only glimpse I get of my pace is when it beeps each mile and lights up. No street lights where I run. So one positive takeaway is that I (more or less) set the right pace without looking. Just wish it wasn't such a miserable-feeling pace. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 16.00 | 0.00 | 16.00 |
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78F to start, 83F finish. Started in darkness, but the lack of shade made it feel hotter in the last few miles when the sun rose. Anyway, I took it mostly easy today so no big deal - 7:57 AP.
Gotta remember not to run down that section of Wildcat road anymore. Every single residence had 2 or 3 dogs running loose and it was a competition to see who could be the biggest nuisance. The winner was this tiny, prissy white dog who almost nipped my heel. The houses there are spaced out every quarter-mile or so, but it was a 2+ mile stretch... |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 16.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 84F. 8:45 AP. Looks like the lows will finally drop to mid-70s by the end of the week which should feel great after mornings like this. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.11 | 0.00 | 11.11 |
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AM - 84F, S 14 mph. 5.11 miles @ 8:51 AP. I screwed up my alarm setting and woke up late, so this was all I had time for. As it was, I had to run all the way to the shower; found out I can arrive back at home from a run and be completely ready to go 8 minutes later (including the shower). Anyway, I was already planning to double today, so it just means a longer TM run this evening.
PM - 6 TM miles this afternoon, 8:45 AP, with a couple TM-style strides at the end to loosen up. Apparently my normal BK lunch is 1400+ calories (looked it up). So that was definitely still digesting as I ran. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 5.11 | 1150s Red #2 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.58 | 0.00 | 15.58 |
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82F, S 10 mph. Slogged it out today, 8:06 avg. Just surviving until the worst of the heat passes which should be soon.
I got a couple new pairs of Kinvaras in the mail. They were on sale for only $59 at Eastbay as long as you don't mind black shoes, which I don't. The problem is that now I feel like a chick with 6 pairs of shoes in the rotation. At least I won't need anymore for awhile. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 15.58 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 76F. I ran early; it looks like it got even a couple degrees cooler than that after I was done. 8:51 AP. Maybe some 800s tomorrow if I feel fresh. Otherwise, more slogging. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.57 | 3.00 | 14.57 |
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74F. Definitely felt cooler out there. I had no excuse not to do some 800s as this was one of the coolest mornings we've had in months. So, 6 x 800 with 400m active recoveries.
First, I did 8.12 miles easy, 8:06 AP. Then rolled right in to the 800s.
3:12, 3:02, 3:01, 2:58, 3:00, 2:53. Average was 3:01 (6:04 pace). Too bad about the first one messing up the average. I don't look at my watch at all during intervals until each one is complete, so I porked the first one. The recovery 400s ranged from 2:02-2:19. Afterward, cooled down 2 miles and change to get home. 7:49/mile for the run as a whole.
Pretty successful morning, now I get a day off to soak up the workout after another 70-mile week. 1 more week until my marathon training plan begins... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 3.00 | 17.00 |
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76F, 73%, N 17-25 mph. Finally a north wind - the cold front will arrive today! Too late for this morning's run, but next week will be awesome.
7:35 AP today. Mostly a progressive run - started out around 8:00 pace and worked my way down to GMP for the last 3. I did the prison loop road today but turned short of the front gate this time so I didn't get followed by perimeter security. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 17.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 62F, N 10 mph. 8:46 AP. Obviously the cold front arrived, felt great. It should stick around most of this week, too. Too bad I need a couple easy days, but I'm thinking mile repeats on Wednesday! | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
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AM - 53F. 7 miles @ 8:20 pace. That was about as slow as I could go with those unbelieveable temps!
PM - 87F. 4 more, 8:33 pace. Nice to finally be able to do a PM run outside. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 4.00 | 1150s Red #2 Miles: 7.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 5.00 | 15.00 |
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59F. Man I love cool weather. The workout today was 5 x 1 mile at 10K pace, with a quarter mile recovery inbetween (worked out to 2-minute recoveries). I wanted to test out 6:30 as a 10K pace because I wasn't really sure where I was at, fitness-wise.
First, 8 warmup miles, AP 8:00 on the nose.
Then the repeats were 6:31, 6:29, 6:28, 6:30, 5:51.
That last one isn't even a typo! 6:30 wasn't challenging me too much (did I just say that?) so I put the pedal down for the last repeat. I was actually in the 5:40s most of the way but met up with my biggest hill with about a quarter mile to go and could not keep the pace uphill.
Finished with an 8:27 cooldown mile, for an overall AP of 7:29.
I think I will have a legit shot at sub-40 in a couple weeks if the weather is like this. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| Danielle is out of town and I got the kids all day...fun, but unfortunately the little one does not have preschool on Thursday so I was stuck inside - 6 TM miles, 8:49 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 |
| 72F (67F start, 77F finish). Didn't start until about 9am as I had to drop the kids off at their respective schools first; fortunately it wasn't too warm yet. 7:46 AP. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 15.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.06 | 0.00 | 11.06 |
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67F. I broke out the Type A shoes today - haven't used them in awhile because they seemed to hurt my achilles awhile back. I'm guessing they won't do it now since I've been running in the Kinvaras, which have an even lower heel. We'll see, they feel fine now.
7:31 AP today, kinda quick for the GA run I had in mind, but I was feeling good after my day off. Well, my legs were feeling good...I had to defend against a turd the whole run so it was miserable in that respect. Kept it short for a Sunday run -- just 11 miles -- as I start the Pfitz schedule tomorrow and want to be somewhat fresh at the beginning. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 69F. 8:38 AP. First day of the Pfitz plan was an easy one. Actually the first few weeks are easier than what I'm used to, but that won't last for too long. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 4.00 | 9.00 |
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76F. 7:23 AP. Got a nice warm morning for my only workout of the week. I did 5 warmup, then 4 tempo. 5 warmup @ 7:58 AP, then 4 tempo @ 6:40 AP (6:41, 6:37, 6:38, 6:44). Harder than I wanted to work and slower than I wanted, but I wasn't feeling as peppy as last week when it was in the 50s and 60s. So I guess that's ok. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.30 | 0.00 | 12.30 |
| 79F. 8:04 AP. It was a hot, early, tired, dark, knee starting to tighten up, legs don't want to go, need immodium the whole time kind of run. Today I actually took the step of collecting leaves from a tree and had them in hand for a few miles (finally found a non-mesquite tree) but managed to ultimately fend it off. Every quarter-mile or so I would pick out a spot in case I had to unload. Rough morning. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 12.30 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 67F, ENE 12-19 mph. Small cold front coming in today - should make for a nice cool run tomorrow as well, but that's about it. 8:38 AP recovery today. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 2.17 | 10.17 |
| 58F. Mini cold front made it nice and cool, so I was moving pretty good; finished up with a couple at GMP. 7:28 AP overall. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 10.17 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 70F, 89%. 8:33 avg. Cold front is gone, but this is still better than summer... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 6.00 | 17.00 |
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70F, 92%, SSE 12 mph. Pretty good run today. I meant to keep it easy, but by mile 11 my pace had almost progressed to GMP, so I made the decision to finish up with the last 6 at goal pace (6:51, 6:52, 6:58, 6:46, 6:54, 6:47). This definitely does not yet feel like marathon pace but it was probably too warm to really assess that yet (and I was running a little under GMP anyway). Hopefully, when/if it cools off again it will feel more sustainable.
7:24/mile overall. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.07 | 0.00 | 6.07 |
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62F. 6 recovery miles, 8:40-ish on the pace (forgot to look).
My left knee has been ever-so-steadily getting worse over the past month. It's on the medial side, below the knee - only thing I can find that makes sense is pes anserinus bursitis/tendonitis. Anyway, I'm lucky enough that I can waltz into the flight doc's office and ask a doctor about it anytime, so I'm gonna go see him in a couple hours and maybe score some of my favorite nsaid. Right now I don't think this will hold me back too much but it's starting to concern me so I'm probably going to back off a little this week. I can definitely get through my runs without much pain but it's just not going in the right direction...
**total fail at the docs - apparently now that I am flying again, I can't take Rx nsaids. Should've known since we can't even take cold medicine without seeing the flight docs. That was my only reason in going; he listed some more common knee injuries that were certainly not what I have, but I kinda knew the internet would be a better source of specific injury info than the young doctors anyway. Oh well, ibuprofen it is. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 59F. More relative rest, strengthening surrounding muscle groups, stretching, and lots of Vitamin I. 8:24 pace. Still feeling like I will be a probably be a go for my 10K this weekend. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 72F, SSE 12 mph. 8:22 pace. My knee is definitely feeling better. At this point though, might as well finish off Thursday and Friday with easy runs to be fresh for Saturday. I'll kinda be tapered, but it makes me nervous to have run so slow all week and then have to go 2 min/mile faster for the race. I did a stride at the end of the run today - felt fine. Maybe a couple minutes @ 10K pace on Friday... | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.38 | 0.00 | 11.38 |
|
63F, N 19-29 mph. 7:56 AP. Cold front arriving! I don't think the coolest air will hang around for the race, but we'll probably see mid 60s for the start -- not ideal but not bad at all.
Knee is probably fine; I'm still doing 2400 mg/day of Vitamin I, but will probably start weaning myself off soon. Not completely out of the woods with this one, but close...
** PM - I won't be able to run tomorrow morning so I decided to bite the bullet and will take a day off tomorrow. However, in order to live with this decision I needed to get in a few miles after the kids went to bed, and while Danielle was watching.....Grey's Anatomy.... Threw in 2 x 1 minute at 10K pace since I hadn't really gotten the legs moving all week. 4.31 miles @ 7:57 AP for the PM run. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 4.31 | 1150s Red #2 Miles: 7.07 |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
|
Played a round of golf this afternoon and shot 90 thanks to a lousy back 9 (42-48). I had a birdie putt on the last hole for the sub-90 and just missed. Wonder if that is a sign that I will run like a 40:01 tomorrow. Actually I would be pretty happy with that anyway. | |
| |
| | Race: |
Abilene 10k (6.2 Miles) 00:39:42, Place overall: 2, Place in age division: 1 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.60 | 6.20 | 8.80 |
|
66F. Warmish, but pretty good racing weather for this time of year.
I have been looking forward to this race for awhile -- haven't raced in 3 months and wanted to see some progress from all the summer slogging. Some mile repeats I did a few weeks back told me I'd be really close to breaking 40, but it was cooler when I did those so I had some doubts today.
The course was good in that it was as flat as you can get, and it was USATF Certified. The bad news was that there were 31 90-degree turns and 4 turns that were closer to 180 degrees; a lot of course crammed into kind of a small space.
So the race started and it's me and red singlet running by ourselves for first. Like Flatlander has said, we're not terribly fast in Texas. Anyway, I stayed right behind him for about 4 miles. He started to gap me in the 5th mile and I pathetically tried to stay close but it was not to be. I could tell by the way he was thanking the course volunteers all along the way that he had some wind left that I did not. So he ended up maybe 15-20 seconds ahead.
I should have turned off auto lap on Garmin because they had mile markers and I knew it would measure the course short with all the turns. But, here are the garmin splits:
6:19, 6:25, 6:31, 6:33, 6:33, 6:27, 0:55.
Measured it at 6.15 miles, but like I said, USATF certified...I can definitely understand a 1% Garmin error with the maze of a course we ran through.
So, I think I'm right on track with the BQ goal. I still have some improving to do to get there, but not an overwhelming amount. With a good cycle, I think I'll be where I need to be come January.
official results
finish line pictures...not only did we have to follow the golf cart guy for 40 minutes, he also got in the way of the shot!
Afterwards came the Kids' K
|
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 8.80 |
| |
| |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 17.00 | 0.00 | 17.00 |
| 76F, SW 13-22 mph. Believe it or not, it actually got up around 100 degrees yesterday afternoon. So, a warm morning today but no problem because I was not in a hurry. Pfitz wanted 8 @ MP today but I don't think he knew I had a 10k yesterday, so I let the legs dictate the pace and meandered around the industrial parks and ghettos of South Cental Abilene. Beautiful place, this town. 8:06 avg. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 17.00 |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.06 | 0.00 | 6.06 |
| 65F, ESE 10 mph. 8:36 pace. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
|
67F. Instead of the 10 w/ 5 LT that was on the schedule I just did 10 GA miles today. Didn't see the point of doing a tempo just 3 days after a race. Plus I have 8 @ MP on Sunday, and a knee thing that hasn't quite decided to disappear.
I did manage to get tangled up in a tumbleweed today in the dark, so that was something new. 7:42 AP overall. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 10.00 |
| |
| |
| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 0.00 | 14.00 |
| 63F. MLR today and an early, early start. Dark the whole time with no moonlight either -- which I mention as my excuse for biting the dust once on the dirt roads. No damage done except to my pride. 7:49 AP. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 14.00 |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 70F. 8:54 AP. One of the kids has plagued us all with a cold they brought home from school. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.31 | 0.00 | 12.31 |
| 65F, N 12 mph. Felt crappy today. 7:55/mile avg, although I'm surprised it was that fast. I guess I'm not doing my immune system any favors by running a lot but it's just a cold - it'll go away eventually. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 12.31 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
|
72F - ran later in the morning, after our oldest's soccer game. 8:34/mile.
Then hopped on to watch the live video of the finish line at St. George, thinking I timed it right to definitely catch April, but the clock said 3:53. Off by an hour - I was thinking 2 hour time difference for some reason. Dumb. Hope everyone did well! | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 8.00 | 16.00 |
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59F. Today I did the 8 @ GMP workout that I postponed last week.
8 easy miles were about 7:57/mile. One one isolated stretch I saw some kind of big cat (3-4 times the size of a large house cat) walking on the road ahead. Some people have said they've seen cougar/mountain lion-looking animals around here, guess it's true. Then some deer crossed the road right in front of me and hurdled a barbed wire fence. One got tangled up a little and had to thrash around to get free. He looked ok though as he sprinted off.
Next 8 were 6:52 AP (6:59, 6:54, 6:57, 6:56, 6:55, 6:55, 6:53, 6:25). Popped off a 10K mile to finish it up, aided by some downhill.
7:25 AP for the 16 miles.
I'm usually disappointed with how GMP feels, and today was no exception. Just means I have work to do I guess. If I had to guess, I'm probably in 3:10 shape right now so I need another good improvement spurt sometime in the next 15 weeks to kill that last 5 minutes. I definitely still have a cold, so hopefully that factored into the difficulty (can't blame it on the weather today).
Next weekend I'll run the Tyler half marathon and, taking a page from JG's playbook, will make it a MP run. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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61F. 9:11 AP.
I don't think I'm going to run tomorrow. I'm tired, sick, busy at work early tomorrow, my knee is still achy, and not being able to tally a single sub-9 mile this morning was probably my legs making a cry for help. And I just dropped $600 at the vet for a cat that looks like he's on death's doorstep anyway. Yeah, I'm not running tomorrow. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 67F, SSE 12 mph. Running felt horrible this morning so I turned around at 5 to go back home early - I'd planned on 12. I just figured I'd be better off with more rest since I am obviously not myself right now, running-wise. Then around mile 7 I started to feel better and the pace dropped while my breathing slowed down almost to normal "easy" levels. Never had it take that long before. Weird - 8:20s and 8:10s felt like tempo pace initially and then 7:30s later almost felt like recovery when I snapped out of it. I still quit at 10 miles because there's still something wrong with me, hopefully just the sickness making everything more difficult and out of sorts. Ended up with 7:53/mile. |
| 1150s Red #2 Miles: 10.00 |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 68F, SSE 24-32 mph. hello south wind. Pretty much just punching the clock today, slogged around in the wind, 8:10-ish on the AP. Rethinking my training.... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 2.08 | 2.08 |
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71F, SSE 27-38 mph. So I was just going to run a few easy miles today but the base had their (mandatory) fun run this morning on the airfield. If you don't know anything about flying, runways are oriented/built to minimize crosswinds based on typical wind directions. Well they definitely got it right because wind was coming right down the pipe.
It started, and in typical military fashion, everyone takes off in a sprint. I'm going 5-something pace and there are 50+ people in front of me within seconds. Slowed it down, and ran 6:22 with a first-mile tailwind, probably 10k effort overall, very easy with the tailwind. Mile 2 was down runway 16 into the teeth of the wind. I went from about 20th to 6th on this portion, running a 6:45. That was both fun (passing everyone) and terrible (ever try to run fast into a 30 knot wind?). Ended up 6th.
No warmup or cooldown. Didn't feel like it...shame on me! | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| Easy 4, no watch (yes, it's true). Tomorrow Danielle and I run the Tyler Half, just for fun. I'm still going to make it a solid effort, and hopefully get a few MP and tempo miles. It's a hilly course so definitely good for a workout. | |
| |
| | Race: |
Tyler Half Marathon (13.14 Miles) 01:33:08, Place overall: 19, Place in age division: 3 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.86 | 6.14 | 18.00 |
|
73F, 73%, E 14 mph. Today was definitely no-shirt weather, even with Danielle's disapproving looks.
I just did this as a progressive effort "fun" run, and it was the right decision. That course is definitely hillier than anything I have ever run on, and a real sweat-fest. Here are the splits:
7:22, 7:09, 7:24, 7:15, 7:15, 7:10, 7:11, 7:10, 6:56, 7:13, 6:46, 6:48, 6:44, 0:46 (5:29 pace).
The splits don't look cleanly progressive, you'll just have to trust me the effort was -- lotsa hills meant pace was all over the place. The highlight was a guy I was running with in mile 4 or 5 (he was gasping for air) telling me he was just on a recovery run today so might not want to pace off of him. He dropped back pretty quick after that...I smiled about it for awhile. I did still manage 3rd in AG which came with a nice plaque. And of course a cheap PR; the all-out effort will come in November in our local half. Flatter and cooler!
Afterward, I ran the course backwards to meet up with Danielle and run her in. We had a really good time and she passed everyone in the last tenth of a mile, including me.
Results |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 18.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
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68F, 87%. 2 full days off to start my "reset week." 8:42 AP today.
After this week I'll be back up to speed with most weeks 65-70 miles until Houston. I'm keeping the long runs (with MP) and medium-long runs from the pfitz plan, and simply throwing in workouts when I most feel like it, but only once a week. Mostly tempos and maybe some 800s when I'm feeling really ambitious. This will be a small step up from Oklahoma training this spring. Small steps is the way to go I think. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 56F, foggy! Haven't seen 100% humidity here in awhile but didn't matter because the cool temps are back...hopefully for good this time. 7:57 AP. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 61F, 7:48/mile avg. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.50 | 0.00 | 4.50 |
| 63F. Managed to squeeze in a few easy miles before my daughter's soccer game. 8:32 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.50 | 3.00 | 15.50 |
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64F, SSW 12 mph. Started in the 8's and progressed to GMP for the last few miles, with a half-mile cooldown at the end. Overall avg was 7:33/mile.
Reset week did its trick, I feel like I'm ready to start running the miles again. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 15.50 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.05 | 0.00 | 5.05 |
| 67F, S 15 mph. 9:05 AP. I think I needed the recovery, I was a little more tired that I would've thought from yesterday. Cold front is coming in tomorrow... | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.13 | 0.00 | 10.13 |
| 53F, N 22-27 mph. Exactly 8:00 pace avg. Ran during the arrival of the cold front. Very refreshing run. Tomorrow morning it'll be in the 40s! I will definitely celebrate with a tempo or some kind of workout. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 10.13 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 4.00 | 13.00 |
| 43F. Yep, pretty much perfect weather, not much wind either. So I cranked out 9 easy, followed by 4 tempo. 9 easy in 7:56 AP. 4 tempo in 6:27 AP (6:37, 6:34, 6:27, 6:09). Overall 7:29 AP. Obviously a little carried away at the end, as 6:09 is out of my tempo range but I rarely ever run that fast so probably no harm done. I ran in the Type A shoes today, and now I'm wondering if this would be a better shoe than the Kinvara for races. They are not quite as comfortable, but seem to rebound a lot better than the softer Kinvaras. Probably need to test them more, it might be too much pounding for a marathon but I'd like to try them in some longer runs. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 58F, SSE 15-27 mph. I didn't get home from work until 2:30am so this run didn't take place until about 10am. So nice that it was still nice and cool out. It was almost weird running in daylight hours. 8:42 AP for 6 recovery miles. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.20 | 0.00 | 10.20 |
| 50F. Same route as Tuesday but I felt a lot stronger today and had to hold back a lot. 7:50/mile. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 10.20 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.06 | 0.00 | 6.06 |
| 68F, 80%, S 17-22 mph (ran late morning). 8:38 AP. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 17.00 | 0.00 | 17.00 |
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59F, overcast. 7:44 AP. Enjoyable 17 this morning. I had a self-imposed 7:40 floor to keep the effort easy since I tend to get carried away on long runs, so the last 10 miles or so were all right on 7:40, give or take a second. The one exception was a 7:29, when I was daydreaming about my next race.
My new thing on long runs is that they will either be easy, or long MP tempos - this is what Pfitz suggests. I think it will help me from going through these cycles where I am running well, then push too hard, then break down and need recovery weeks. So we'll see how long I stick with that... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.11 | 0.00 | 4.11 |
| 76F. 8:38 AP, a nice trot around the neighborhood as it was getting dark. I'd planned to take a rest day today but it didn't feel like I needed rest so I ran (obviously not much). I like the flexibility of not being tied to a daily plan. Hopefully when the shoe is on the other foot and I need an unscheduled rest day, I will let myself take it. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 68F, S 16-25 mph. 8:01/mile avg. I think we have one more warm morning (tomorrow) and then it's cool weather from here on out. In other possibly related news, my tempo run just moved from tomorrow to Friday. |
| 1150s Red #2 Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.54 | 0.00 | 15.54 |
| 71F, SSW 14-21 mph. 7:53 AP. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 15.54 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.52 | 0.00 | 5.52 |
| 47F, N 13 mph. 9:00 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 5.00 | 13.00 |
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44F, NNW 10 mph. Workout was 8 easy, followed by 5 tempo, aiming for 6:35-6:40 on the fast miles.
8 easy avg 7:51/mile
5 tempo avg 6:36/mile (6:38, 6:37, 6:36, 6:37, 6:34)
Overall AP for 13 was 7:22.
Meh, I did the paces I was shooting for (a little faster than HM goal pace) but it was a lot of work. I did finish with some gas in the tank so I would recover faster, but my goal pace in 8 days is 6:43. I'd honestly be a little surprised if I can pull that off. I'm hoping that I owe some of the toughness of this workout to the fact that it's coming at the end of a pretty high-mileage week for me. I will be doing a 2-day taper for the Abilene half so I'll be a little more rested, but it will probably be warmer. We'll see, I think I'll need a lot of race day magic to break 1:28. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 59F, SW 14 mph. Ran after noon, how about that? 8:27 AP. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 20.00 | 0.00 | 20.00 |
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52F, S 10 mph. First 20-miler in months. I questioned going this long since I am 6 days out from an important race, but decided if I kept it slow and easy it would be fine. I wore my newer pair of cushiony trainers to hopefully mitigate any pounding effects. 7:50 AP.
It's so nice that 20 miles is not a big deal anymore; it used to really leave its mark on me for days. Although, in a couple weeks I'll start throwing on 10-12 miles at GMP and maybe it'll be a different story. |
| 1150s Red #2 Miles: 20.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.09 | 0.00 | 4.09 |
| 42F. 9:08 AP. Sorry about the lack of details lately, things are busy... | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.72 | 0.00 | 7.72 |
|
59F, S 14-22 mph. 8:11 AP. I was going to do 12, but my legs were totally dead today. Normally I'd just suffer through it but with a race in 4 days, I turned around early. That is exactly what I get for all the big talk about how 20 miles is no big deal. While it was easy at the time, it definitely still leaves its mark. I knew it felt wrong when I was typing it! Anyway, I think a little rest will recover them enough to be ready to run on Saturday.
Oh yeah, weather.gov is predicting the winds at race time to be SSW 26-37 mph. The course for the half is fully exposed (no trees, houses, etc) and the first 5 miles will be into the wind. Let's just say I am shopping around for another HM. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Just checked and my last day off of running was Oct 11. So now is probably a good time for one. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.14 | 1.00 | 7.14 |
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35F (w/c 27F), NW 11 mph. short sleeves and shorts, oh yeah! I did have gloves and a hat though. 7:25 AP, which included strides and 2 x 0.5 mile @ HMGP. Felt really good today coming off the rest day and probably the perfect running temperature for me.
It also helped that I hadn't just rolled out of bed - I had to be at work for something at 6am, but then ran after that. Just jumped right into 7:30 pace; normally it takes several miles before I can approach that if I've just gotten out of bed.
So, feeling good for the race. Temp should be upper 40s with the south wind at 20-25 mph. I'll just do what I can; all the headwind pretty much comes right up front in the first 5-6 miles. If I have to accept 7:30/mile on the first 5, I can still at least break 1:30 by averaging 6:30 the rest of the way. It's a stretch, but worth shooting for. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.09 | 0.00 | 5.09 |
| 29F. My first run in the 20s this season, not too bad since the winds were calm. I actually went with long sleeves. 8:40 AP. Ready to run tomorrow and take whatever the wind gods will give me. | |
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| |
| | Race: |
Abilene Half Marathon (13.11 Miles) 01:29:31, Place overall: 3 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.64 | 13.11 | 17.75 |
|
51F, SSE 22-31 mph. no kidding.
Short version - Really happy with this one given the wind. When I felt the wind before the race, I thought it might take a miracle to break 1:30, but it actually happened. No telling what this time would be worth on a normal day (and I'm not gonna guess) but I think I'm right on track with my fitness.
Obviously the splits are all over the map with the wind. The headwind legs mostly came up front and were absolutely brutal. When it gusted, it felt like I would almost come to a complete stop. The tailwind legs were fast, although the damage had already been done. Here are the splits/commentary, with HW in red, crosswind in black and TW in green (although I'm sure it'll be obvious).
1 - 6:52 - It started out with a little loop, and I stuck with the 2 leaders.
2-5 - 6:51, 7:27, 7:21, 7:29 - Mile 2 was neutral until about 1.6 and then the hell started. When I felt what the headwind was like, knowing that we would have to endure it for 4 miles, I almost mentally gave up. The two leaders hammered it and I was left by myself. I was completely smoked trying to hold 7:20s and thought I was done.
6-10 - 6:48, 6:53, 6:41, 6:35, 6:33 - At about 5.2, it turns off the highway to a crosswind, and the slippery gravel begins for the next 3 miles. My breathing was really starting to recover even though I was going a lot faster. Mile 7 was about half headwind. Mile 8 was a nice tailwind but probably had the worst gravel, really slippery. Miles 9 and 10 were crosswind but the gravel ended and the asphalt began; I was starting to find my stride and had recovered from the headwind legs. The second place guy was about 0.25 miles ahead after mile 5, but I had closed to about 0.15 miles by mile 10 (I would see him pass a landmark, then look at garmin to see how long it took me to get there).
11-13.1 - 6:19, 6:27, 6:36, 0:39 (5:45 pace) - Now the part I had been waiting for - I actually did the last 5K in exactly 20 min. I closed to within 30 seconds of 2nd place but couldn't catch him. Mile 13 we lost a majority of the tailwind and I really redlined trying to catch up to 2nd place.
If you break up the race into 2 halves, I did the first 6.55 miles in 46:39 (7:07 pace) and did the second half in 42:52 (6:32 pace). The funny thing is it might have been a positive split effort.
Afterward I ran the race opposite direction until I saw Danielle, and ran her in. She got a 10-second PR, despite the wind. So we are both feeling pretty good.
results (it seems 5-6 seconds was added to everyone's time; I'm sticking with my watch time since I could not have been off by that much!) | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.05 | 0.00 | 6.05 |
| 67F, SSE 18-26 mph. 8:37 AP. Actually got some sunshine for this run. This is the first time as a runner that I have gotten to experience the joys of Fall daylight savings time. Last year I was living with savages (no DST), and the year before I would've never done something like wake up early to run. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
|
57F, WNW 16-23 mph. 7:45 AP. Interesting run for a weather nerd. I ran about an hour after the squall line came through but just before the cold air from the actual front. In the relatively short time I was out there, I could feel the winds transiting from south to north by the end of the run.
The plan for the rest of the week is a lot more plain ol' aerobic running like this to recover from the half, then 10 @ MP on Sunday in my long run. |
| 1150s Red #2 Miles: 10.00 |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.00 | 1.00 | 14.00 |
| 39F, N 10 mph. Some perfect running weather. 7:32 AP today as I got a little carried away on the way home...nothing crazy though, just having fun throwing in a few strides of varying speeds and duration. Legs really sprung to life today and are seemingly recovered after the race. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.07 | 0.00 | 6.07 |
| 32F, 8:39 AP. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.00 | 0.00 | 13.00 |
| 49F, SSW 17 mph. I had the day off, so I took my kindergartner to school and ran from there. 7:36 AP. Once my legs get warmed up, things are now very comfortable in the 7:30s (when the weather is cool). Hopefully if my easy pace is speeding up, it means everything else is too. Not sure if it works like that though. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 13.00 |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| 61F, SSW 20-27 mph. 8:35 pace. Short late-morning jog before tomorrow's torture session...looks like it'll be in the 60s. | |
| |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 10.00 | 18.00 |
|
61F, SSW 13 mph. Workout was 8 easy followed by 10 @ MP.
8 easy, 7:48 AP. (8:03, 7:57, 7:54, 7:50, 7:36, 7:38, 7:40, 7:46)
10 MP, 6:45 AP. (6:52, 6:52, 6:51, 6:49, 6:50, 6:49, 6:39, 6:38, 6:35, 6:30)
Overall for 18 miles, 7:13 AP
I was starting to suspect I'd gone through an improvement spurt this week since my easy aerobic runs were coming in about 10-15 seconds/mile faster than usual. I think this confirms it. When I finished it was 63 degrees and in direct sun (around 9 am) so not ideal conditions for me, although not terrible either.
My BQ pace is 7:03, so I don't think that is in much doubt now unless the conditions are particularly adverse. It might, MIGHT be time to start thinking sub-3, but it's a fine line because the BQ is the goal and I don't want to blow it by getting greedy.
The shoes I ran in (type A4s) will probably be my marathon shoes, as they felt fine the whole time. I have been dealing with a sore right achilles/calf since the race last weekend though, so definitely need to run in the trainers for awhile. The good news is that it never hurt at all while running. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.31 | 0.00 | 14.31 |
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AM - 60F. 7:57/mile, legs were pretty dead this morning from Sunday's workout. It definitely does not makes sense to do those long MP runs more than once every couple of weeks -- I don't think I'll be ready for a workout tomorrow, so I'm going to try for Friday...thinking 8 x 800 but not sure yet.
PM - 67F and cooling. 8:31 AP for 4 miles and change. I wasn't originally going to double up today but there will be a nasty south wind on Friday, so I am shuffling the whole week around so I can go to the track on Thursday (40 degrees and low wind). Hopefully the legs will be good to go by then. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 14.31 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| 44F. 8:29 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 4.00 | 13.00 |
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30F, w/c 26F. Little chilly, but great interval-running weather.
The plan was for a 5 mile warmup, then 8 x 800s with 400m jog recovery at the track. Well, after my warmup, I notice what looks like the entire ACU football team or something arriving there too. So on to Plan B, which was to set my watch up for 0.5 mile laps and do the repeats around the campus jogging path loop. So the workout ended up just about the same, I just did 0.5 miles fast and 0.25 miles slow, 8 times. I ran them pretty evenly but since it wasn't a track, there were some slightly overall uphill and downhill repeats.
5-ish warmup: 7:53AP
8 x 0.5 miles: 3:02, 2:57, 2:57, 2:59, 2:59, 3:02, 2:55, 2:51. AP was 5:56 for the 4 total fast miles. Recoveries were all basically 2:00-2:05 for the quarter mile inbetween (8:00-8:20 pace). It felt all frantic at first trying to get to 6:00 pace, but I sorta found a groove with it. A really uncomfortable groove.
Pretty much the times I was shooting for, even if I had gotten to run on a nice level track, so I'll call it a success and go back to avoiding VO2 max workouts again for as long as possible.
AP 7:19 for 13 miles. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 46F, S 18-25 mph. 8:17 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 16.00 | 0.00 | 16.00 |
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64F, S 19-27 mph. Normally I do the LR on Sunday, but offered to take the windy day this weekend so Danielle could have some calmer weather (tomorrow) for her 18-miler.
Overall, 7:51/mile. The direct headwind legs were about 8:40 pace, and I had to push a little to get that, so pretty nasty wind. |
| 1150s Red #2 Miles: 16.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.03 | 0.00 | 6.03 |
| 47F, N 10 mph. It was supposed to be in the mid-60s all day but stayed 15-20 degrees below the forecast - weird, never seen them screw it up that bad. I actually ran just after lunch. Maybe a little too soon after lunch: fajita burps all the way. Leftover fajita burps. 8:27 AP | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 0.00 | 14.00 |
| 43F, foggy. More weird weather for Abilene. 7:42 AP. Such a nice, flowing, easy, gliding run - you know, just the sweetest feeling kind - until about 5 miles from home. Then I had...issues. My bowels were paying for a weekend of total gluttony. Somehow I made it home with clean underwear and no pit stops -- it took a few short bouts of walking to contain things. But the joy of running through the refreshing cool mist was gone, gone, gone. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 14.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| 46F. 8:09 AP. Leaving for Houston today...sometime. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 56F, N 10 mph. Houston. 8:25 AP. I forgot to bring any running shoes - what kind of runner am I? I did this run in some old beaters and there will probably be a shiny new pair of racers in my very near future. | |
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| | Race: |
Houston Turkey Trot 10K (6.29 Miles) 00:40:55, Place overall: 81, Place in age division: 9 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 1.80 | 6.29 | 8.09 |
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54F, ENE 8 mph.
Stunk it up today - I hate the 10K. Basically went out forcing the pace I wanted for the first half and it was way too fast for me today. Miles 4 and 5 were into the wind but I can't in good conscience use that as an excuse, the wind speed was not too bad. I was just mush after the 5K and gave a pretty poor effort for the last 3 miles. I'm trying not to read in too much as far as what kind of shape that I'm in, hoping it was just a bad day, but I expected a lot better on a flat course with close to perfect conditions. Sub-3 needs to be shelved for sure. Gotta focus on 3:05, because I probably still have work to do to get there. Don't you hate it when you realize you're slower than you thought you were? Anyway, here's the carnage:
6:18, 6:21, 6:21, 6:40, 6:47, 6:50, 1:38 for 0.29 (5:38 pace).
Danielle and I both measured the course about a tenth of a mile long, not that it really mattered for me, given my crappy running. The last .29 would've been slower but (another) girl was passing me and I picked it up to finish ahead. Actually, it was really easy to pick up the pace, which kind of lets me know I dogged it way too much once I knew it would not be a good race. Lazy bum. Ah well, back to the grind. Happy Thanksgiving all. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 56F. 7:41/mile - Started out thinking it would be mostly recovery today but my legs quickly told me they didn't need it. Still in Houston, but I was feeling more like my normal self today; maybe I just needed a couple days to acclimate to the wetter climate and humidity? I don't know, but it might be worth arrving in Houston a few days early for the marathon to adjust, just in case I'm not crazy. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 20.00 | 0.00 | 20.00 |
| 68F, 94%, drizzly. Had a great run with Flatlander, in not-so-great conditions. I think last time we ran together it was around 80 and muggy, so I guess this was nice by comparison at least. We did 4 loops of Houston Memorial park, then ran to downtown and back along the bayou trail. Nice to have good company for a slog-it-out kind of run. Ended up with 8:26/mile which was a good workout given the heat and muddy conditions. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.07 | 0.00 | 4.07 |
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42F. Quick jog around the neighborhood after a long day in the car. 8:17 AP.
Here's a picture from the 10k:
That was after out-kicking that 12-year-old girl in the background at the end. OH YEAH - IN YOUR FACE, 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 29F. 7:28 AP - kind of a brisk pace, attempting to warm up the body quicker than usual. Still wore shorts though! My legs were all red after I came back. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.10 | 0.00 | 10.10 |
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AM - 30F. 6 miles, 8:28 pace. Probably going to do a few more recovery miles after work, then a tempo tomorrow.
PM - 50F. 4.1 miles @ 8:22 AP. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 6.00 | 1150s Red #2 Miles: 4.10 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 4.00 | 15.00 |
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28F. Mostly easy with a 4-mile tempo block thrown in on the way home - 6:37, 6:27, 6:34, 6:19.
Average was 6:29 for the tempo, and 7:27 for the 15 mile total.
Have to mention this, on the way out I made my first-ever pit stop in a nice ditch (it was still good and dark). Pretty efficient and tidy, I was pleased. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 47F, S 16 mph. 8:36 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 13.00 | 0.00 | 13.00 |
| 37F, NNE 12 mph. 7:36 AP. Really feeling good lately. This was one of those runs that I just didn't want to end but I have a job. Which I need to go to for money. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 13.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 46F. I waited until it stopped raining, then went for a short run. Then it rained on me anyway. 8:05 AP. 20-miler w/ 11 @ MP tomorrow... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 11.00 | 20.00 |
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36F, N 10 mph, wet. Long MP run #2 of 3 today. First 9 easy, last 11 at GMP.
First 9 -- AP 7:40 -- 8:01, 7:41, 7:38, 7:40, 7:43, 7:42, 7:31, 7:38, 7:32
Last 11 -- AP 6:45 -- 6:50, 6:48, 6:52, 6:45, 6:44, 6:50, 6:49, 6:47, 6:39, 6:44, 6:26
Overall for 20 miles -- AP 7:10
Good confidence-building run. I like to run the MP portion faster than my actual goal pace, which is only 7:03, in the hopes that 7:03 will feel like a walk in the park on the big day. Actually, it probably ended up being closer to an 11-mile time trial than an MP run. I picked up the pace for the last mile to see if I still had some gas in the tank. I definitely did have some energy to spare, but not a ton.
Still, looking at the total time of 2:23 for 20, it's nice to know I could've just done a recovery jog for another 10K and still PR'd the marathon today. Seems like the endurance is just about there... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
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25F, N 18 mph, w/c 12F. A little too cold for this Texas boy. Danielle got me some pants at Walmart to run in, but it was still a little painful on my face going into the wind. I think I set a PR for longest shoe-tying session. Normally my shoes never come untied since I double-knot them, but of course, today they did. I fumbled around for quite a while since it was dark and I lacked dexterity in my frozen hands. At least the roads were dry - we had an inch or two of snow on Monday morning but it didn't stick to the roads. 7:48 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 |
| 20F. Thankfully, not much wind though - it actually felt warmer than yesterday. Gutted my way through 15 miles @ 7:46 AP. Felt pretty worn-out afterward, that hard 20 on Sunday is definitely still in my legs. Still plan on taking it easy the next couple days, then possibly a 5K on Saturday; I need to get going on that sub-19 goal. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 15.00 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| TM | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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I've been in Dallas the last couple days for job interviews, minimal running. AM 4 on the TM, and 4 PM miles with some strides when I got home. At least the legs are nice and rested now -- 5K tomorrow! | |
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| | Race: |
Abilene Jingle Bell 5k (3.08 Miles) 00:18:29, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1 | | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 3.08 | 6.08 |
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33F. Success on my sub-19 goal. I measured it at 3.08 miles and it was not on their certified course, so maybe add 10 seconds to the time, but definitely a big PR and a legit sub-19. None of the faster folks showed up, so I ran by myself, although it was a 2-lap course so I did some people-dodging on lap 2. Splits:
6:05, 5:59, 6:00, 25 sec for .08 (5:25 pace for the stub).
Overall Garmin had it at exactly 6:00 AP, which equates to an 18:39 5K time. Definitely feeling good about my chances for 3:05 now. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 18.11 | 0.00 | 18.11 |
| 40F, SSE 10 mph, light rain for a few miles. Pretty enjoyable run when it wasn't raining - one of those where I would've liked to just keep running. But I need to keep the mileage somewhat in check to avoid breaking down too much in this last month before the race. 7:35 AP. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.06 | 0.00 | 4.06 |
| 8:48/mile | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 50F, SSE 17 mph. 7:49/mile. Busy week, had to get this one in at 4am... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.19 | 0.00 | 7.19 |
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65F, SSE 15 mph. Wanted 13 miles but I turned around early. The 5 hours of sleep I got the night before last was ok, but the 3 hours last night was apparently not quite enough. It was like painful slow motion out there. Work is kicking my butt right now with late hours. I also have to fly out to Houston early tomorrow for another job interview, so will probably do what I should've done today and just skip the run. Hope to catch up with everyone's blogs this weekend...
8:12 AP. |
| Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 7.19 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.06 | 0.00 | 12.06 |
| 34F. 7:35 AP. Good moderate-effort run to get back in the swing of things. I never feel awesome after a day off, but this was ok, all things considered. Starting to catch back up on sleep a little, after 7 solid hours last night. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.08 | 0.00 | 6.08 |
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37F, 8:24 pace.
Since I made it through the week with no workouts, I think I will hammer the last 5 or 6 miles on my 16-miler tomorrow. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 6.00 | 16.00 |
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50F, overcast. Pretty good run today. Did the first 10 easy, followed by 6 fast, but I didn't have a specific pace in mind - it ended up being a nice progressive tempo. Probably a perfect marathon workout.
10 ez - 7:40 AP
6 fast - 6:28 AP (6:38, 6:33, 6:32, 6:23, 6:21, 6:18).
AP for 16 miles - 7:13
Probably could've gotten a nice 10K PR today if there was a race. It was surprising how good it felt in the 6:30s, really encouraging. So, of course, I picked it up for the last 3 until it hurt a little more. Didn't take much extra speed to get that special threshold-y feeling.
Gonna do some higher mileage this next week, all easy, with my last long MP run on Christmas. This cycle has had a definite lack of workouts, maybe 1/week at best, but by making sure I'm fresh for them, they have all been pretty good. Seems to be working so far. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.13 | 0.00 | 4.13 |
| 56F, raining. 8:31/mile | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 10.03 | 0.00 | 10.03 |
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37F, W 21-28 mph, w/c 26F. Cold front arriving...weird direction for the wind though - it's usually only from the west briefly if it is switching from south to north, but it's a steady west wind today.
8:09/mile for the run, my legs are still tired from Sunday so I wasn't quite into my preferred GA pace range, but I needed the rest so I let the legs pick the pace. |
| 1150s Red #2 Miles: 10.03 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 15.56 | 0.00 | 15.56 |
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36F, SSW 10 mph. 7:43 AP. I herded a cow today who had gotten out. She was on the dirt road and kept running away from me as I approached. After about a half mile, she went down a driveway and hopped over a section of barbed wire fence that was sagging down a little. Seeing a cow jump a fence was a first for me. There was a bunch of similar-looking cows in that field, so I think I unwittingly but effectively herded her back into the right place. Learned 2 things:
1. Cows can run a sub-4 800m.
2. Cows can hurdle | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 50F, 8:27 pace, now in Longview for a few days. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.12 | 0.00 | 12.12 |
| 46F. 7:50 pace with some good hills in Longview. Actually felt a little beat up afterward despite the easy-ish pace. |
| 1150s Red #1 Miles: 12.12 |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 4.20 | 0.00 | 4.20 |
| 40F. recovery pace w/ strides | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 14.00 | 22.00 |
| 39F, overcast. Perfect morning for a runner.
Merry Christmas all. This was my big Christmas run, the most grueling of the cycle. 8 easy, followed by 14 at GMP.
First 8 @ 7:37 AP.
Last 14 @ 6:53 AP. Splts were pretty even - 6:54, 6:57, 6:56, 6:46, 6:51, 6:55, 6:56, 6:53, 6:54, 6:53, 6:53, 6:52, 6:52, 6:46.
22 miles total @ 7:09 AP.
Interestingly, this was the first run of this cycle where the limiting factor was my legs, not my lungs. Even through the last mile it felt aerobically (pretty) comfortable, but I just couldn't seem to propel myself any faster when I tried in the last mile. This run marks the end of a 74-mile week which is a lot for me, so I am hoping it is tired legs, and that with a good pre-race taper, the dead-leg thing will not be a factor. I mean, I need to do an extra 12 miles at race pace on top of the 14 I did today! Still very happy with the run, and even happier that it's done. I do feel like I'm in shape for 3:05 but with very little room to spare. Jan 15 should be an interesting day... | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| 32F. 8:08/mile. My legs were a lot more responsive than they have been 2 days after my last two long MP runs. Definite improvement in recovery, felt pretty good today but kept it in the 8's to play it safe and make sure I'm soaking up the benefits of Sunday's run. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
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44F, SSW 16-24 mph. 7:39 AP.
This week I'm just shaving off a mile or two from a few runs, but should still be in the 60s for the week. Next week the taper will become more significant, with about a 50-mile week. Then, obviously taking it really easy for the last week. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 34F. 8:31 AP. Very creaky and hobbly the first couple miles. Need taper | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 4.00 | 11.00 |
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43F. 7:23 AP. Intended to do an 11-mile progression run today but it ended up being just 10 plus a cooldown mile.
8:09, 7:56, 7:44, 7:34, 7:23, 7:13, 7:02, 6:53, 6:43, 6:39, 7:53.
I probably should have been able to keep it up and finish in the 6:20s, but it was a definite "off day." I was already breathing too hard at mile 3...mile 10 ended with a steep 30-40 ft hill and I knew I was done after that. MP felt like 10k pace, just a yuck-day. I am hoping the 22-miler is just still in my legs, although you'd think 5 days is enough to recover. Oh well, taper is coming up soon. I do have 1 more workout next week; maybe it won't be quite as confidence-shattering. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 5.10 | 0.00 | 5.10 |
| 72F, SW 15 mph. Ah I remember when 72 felt cool, now it feels like a sauna. 8:32/mile recovery in the early afternoon. | |
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| | Slow miles | Fast miles | Total Distance | | 2638.16 | 323.59 | 2961.75 |
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| 1140s #1 Miles: 84.88 | 1140s #2 Miles: 211.23 | New Blue Asics Miles: 143.33 | 1140s #3 Miles: 498.48 | Saucony A4 Miles: 201.79 | 1150s Miles: 492.23 | 1150s Red #1 Miles: 416.51 | Kinvaras Miles: 342.77 | 1150s Red #2 Miles: 247.83 | Kinvaras - Blk/gray Miles: 204.08 | Fastwich Miles: 98.82 |
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